Neko Ahri Gaiden
by UTDFreckles
Summary: The Neko clan, a former minor clan of Konoha, was wiped out in Orochimaru's attack of the village. Two survivors exist however, on the border of the River and Wind countries: Neko Kin and his daughter Ahri. stars most of the Naruto lineup
1. Pt 1 The Shinobi Arc

NEKO AHRI GAIDEN

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This is the first part of many 'arcs', typical of the Naruto layout.

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PART ONE

_The Shinobi Arc_

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_That was then… _

* * *

Ahri grabbed the basket of eggs she was supposed to take to Sunagakure for her parents. Every morning this week she seemed to be making a delivery to the village, even if it were to no one in particular. Today, it was eggs because the chickens seemed to be more productive than usual. It was a blessing for the family because lately there were little to no visitors passing through the River Country to the Wind Country. Her father said it was because the Sand and the Leaf were not as close as they pretended to be, despite Sandaime Hokage's and Yondaime Kazekage's alliance. Ahri believed it to be true; her father seemed to know everything. She also believed he was once a shinobi, though maybe not for Sunagakure, and if he was not a shinobi, he still could practice jutsu and pass it on to his daughter. Even her mother seemed to have a special talent, knowing by the slightest touch of Ahri's forehead what it was that bothered her.

"Ahri, the inn and tea house are suffering, what we deliver to the village is important. Don't let anything go to waste," he mother reminded her.

The ten year old smiled. Even though she could only recall making these deliveries for a year (her parents had said that while she was checking on the livestock, she fell and hit her head, making her forget the first nine years of her life), the girl knew the path well, and was regarded as fast as the wind by her father when it came to reaching the village in a third of the time it normally took. What she had not told her father was that when she ran, she had noticed that she turned into a panther. At first, she believed it was a dream, but now she believed it was her own power, because her parents had powers.

"I'll make sure everyone enjoys the eggs," she replied. She grabbed the basket with a smile, closing the top with a lock. "I'll be home tonight!" she called as she walked out the door.

"Please be home before tonight," her mother replied.

Ahri replied with a large grin and raced out the door.

The sand pushed into her face, and although she feared that it would soon release into a sandstorm, she continued. It would not be the first time she made it to Sunagakure through a sandstorm. The gate guards laughed that it was because she had made the journey so many times that she could go blindfolded. It was probably true, but it was also true that as she ran, and her body slowly sank closer to the ground, turning into the large, black panther, her senses were heightened. She was able to hear the village and move toward the noise, as well as smell the food being cooked on countless stoves. With this panther form, she could never be lost. Only, she could never make it evolve on her own. She had to be running at her fastest speed for it to occur, and she had to slow down significantly for it to fade away. Before reaching the gates, she did so, and slowly stood in her young girl form again.

"Hello Ahri!" greeted the gate guard, Yura. "What do we have today?"

She smiled. "Fresh, white eggs."

"Mmmm…" he replied. "Make sure you visit my house and tell my wife I would love some of those."

Ahri smiled. "Will do!" She trotted past him to find herself immersed in the village's winding streets. "If I can remember where you live…" She twirled around and then closed her eyes to concentrate. Finally, she remembered the way to his house and headed toward it. From 

afar, she saw a small boy sitting alone, hugging his teddy bear. If she remembered correctly, this was the boy she was always warned to stay away from. She was told that he had a monster inside of him. But how could a child so alone not have a monster in him? She gave a half-hearted smile as the boy looked up at her; his eyes lighting up at her smile. She felt like she might have a monster in her as well, the black panther. How could she resent the boy for something she herself had? She calmly walked up to him with a smile. The boy gave her a surprised look as she slowly came closer and closer. "Hello," she sweetly greeted him.

"He… hello," he stammered in return.

"Do you like eggs?" She gave a large grin to him, as if he were meant to think that was a random thing to say.

The boy gave a half smile and looked from side to side. "I… don't know."

Ahri sat down next to him, and the boy did not flinch. "You've never had any?"

He shook his head.

"Well, I'm here to sell them. My parents have chickens that make them. They like to sell them here because most people in the village don't have a lot of chickens." She opened the basket and pulled out one which she handed it to the boy.

He carefully took it.

"You have to be careful; if you drop it, it will break. But… if you boil it in water for long enough, you can drop it, and only the outer layer will crack. Then you can peel that back and eat it." She smiled again. "And if you end up liking it… I'll get you some more. For the next time I see you."

"The… next time?" he whispered.

Ahri smiled and stood up. "I have to sell the rest of these eggs before the end of the day. If I didn't have to do that, I would stay. Then I'd show you what else to do with eggs."

The boy smiled. "You would stay?"

"Of course! Hey, maybe you could come with me…"

The boy dropped his smile. "I don't think I can."

Ahri closed the basket again for fear of eggs dropping out. "Well if you can't come with me, then I'll have to make sure I come back to see you on my next visit. Is this where you live?" She looked up at the house behind him. He shook his head yes. "Well now I know where to find you! Until next time…" she giggled. "What's your name?"

"Gaara."

"Until next time, Gaara!" She waved and happily skipped away, confident in her belief that there really could be no monster inside such a small child. The young boy grinned and turned to run into his house to show his uncle his new prize.

Ahri finished selling eggs to Yuma's wife, who quickly directed her to some more potential customers. Ahri, forgetting to close the basket, sped down the small alley toward the house she was pointed to. As she rounded the corner, she ran into a wooden barrel. A handful of the eggs fell out of the basket, crashing to the ground. She cursed herself and quickly closed the basket. Her head turned to face the barrel, and she gasped once she realized the thing had a face and devil horns. "What are you?" she yelled at him.

A deep chuckle escaped from behind some crates on the side of the alley. "I don't believe he can speak; he is, after all, just a puppet."

The girl's eyes followed thin, glowing, blue strings attached to the puppet from the crates. She grabbed what she could of the fallen eggs as the puppet backed away from her. "You play with your dolls out in the open? That must take a real man."

Her adversary lifted his head to see the person who talked to him, and grinned as he saw the thin-legged, flat-breasted, pig-tailed girl in front of him. "I'm training. I'm going to be made a Genin tomorrow."

Before he could react, the girl threw the broken eggs at him, hitting him squarely on his painted face. "Looks like you need more training."

"What the… what the hell did you do that for?" he roared.

She grinned and held her basket of eggs up to her chest, cradling it. "Well, with that make-up on your face, I wasn't sure if you were a man or something deranged. I played it safe and bet on something deranged. I did everyone a favor. With the eggs, you have a better looking face." She grinned.

Without a comment, the boy flicked his wrist and soon the puppet had engulfed the girl. The boy laughed. "Ha! Well done Kuroari! Teach that brat to never mess with a puppet master." He walked confidently up to the puppet, hoping to hear the girl scream to be let out, but frowned when no sound came forth. "Oi, you, you alive in there or did I scare you to death?" He made another motion with his hand and the puppet's door opened. Before he could react, the girl had reached out and pulled him into his own puppet, and with her other hand, moved his fingers to cause the door to close. "What the - ! How did you know how to close Kuroari?"

With light coming in only from the tiny slots of the puppet, the boy could only see Ahri grin. "I'm not blind. You have a certain pattern that makes the doors open; I only assumed it was the same to close it."

"You memorized the pattern by only seeing it once… while you were being taken?" he gasped.

Ahri grinned. "I never took my eyes off your hand. I knew something was coming, but I also decided you didn't seem the sort who would kill me. Not now and here anyway."

"Are you…" before he could question anymore, he thought of the humility of his failure, _and the day before I became a Genin too!_ "I hope no one saw this. If so… I'll have to act like, like it was planned."

She rolled her eyes. "Who would believe that?"

"Maybe, if I use Kuroari as a transport, it would look like a theory I decided to test. If you mention this to anyone, I will kill you. No matter the time or place."

Ahri closed her eyes. Maybe the villagers had it wrong; it was this kid and not Gaara who had a monster inside of him. Before her thoughts could linger, the puppet rose up and began moving quickly toward a nearby house. From there, it snuck in a low window that it only barely squeezed through while holding two people. Finally, the puppet rested and the boy moved his fingers, allowing the door to open. Ahri jumped out with her basket before he could exit and keep her trapped inside. "What is this monstrosity?" she whispered. Above her, evil looking puppets and puppet parts hung staring at her with false eyes. A workbench was nearby, covered in more puppet parts and tools. "What are you?"

He grinned as he hung the puppet up. "A monstrosity."

She huffed.

"How much are those eggs?" he asked.

She glanced up at him.

"I'm hungry. It's either you or the eggs."

She rolled her eyes and handed him the basket. He grabbed his wallet from the folds of his black clothes.

"Despite that you bought the eggs," she seethed, "it doesn't change the fact that I was imprisoned in a creepy puppet and forced around town with you… grappling me inside of it!"

"It's not like I wanted to grapple you. You're the one who pulled me in."

"You caught me."

"You threw egg in my face."

"You have an ugly face."

The boy grinned. "It's only ugly to outsiders. I reserve the beauty of me face for people who deserve it."

"I wouldn't want to see your face anyway." She took his money, and, without saying another word, she crawled back out of the window, and quickly made her way back to her home. The boy smiled and carried his eggs to the kitchen for his own enjoyment.

Ahri, now eleven, stood before her father in an empty corral where the cows usually grazed. At the moment, the beasts were sleeping soundly in their stalls before being milked. Ahri's father grinned at his daughter as she eagerly practiced the new technique he had taught her; finally, she had let it slip to her father that she was able to turn into a panther. He had laughed when she feared a monster lived in her, stating that it was just a special type of power granted to his family line. She had sighed in relief upon hearing this, and asked if she could call upon it at will. And apparently, she could. "Shikyaku Henge no Jutsu1!" she again yelled, focused intently on her hands. Where she failed in the past, she now could transform into the panther of her own free will. Her mind roared the command again, and she returned to normal.

Her father gave her a large smile as a reward. "Be able to say that in your mind instantly, while focusing your chakra, and you will soon be able to seamlessly perform the transformation wherever and whenever, even during combat. And if you continue to practice your control on it, you will learn not to automatically transform into the beast while you're running."

"Will you teach me another jutsu, otosan?" she begged.

He laughed. "Perhaps tomorrow, if you can show me how much you've progressed with this one." He ruffled her hair and entered into the inn and tea house they owned.

"Is it really safe to teach her our skills?" his wife asked.

He grinned. "She'll need to learn eventually. Someday, we might all have to protect ourselves."

"The Neko…" she began, hoping to change his mind about his clan's fighting style, hoping instead to favor her own clan's technique of empathy and mind control.

"Has she developed any of your bloodline limits?" he interrupted.

"Not yet." She bowed her head and then slowly glanced at her daughter, practicing the transformation over and over. "It seems that she only received your genius."

Ahri ran into the kitchen, startling both of her parents. "Are there any deliveries for today?" Ever since she had a run-in with the puppet user, she had been dying for a rematch. But soon after that event, it spread that Gaara had become truly unstable and Sunagakure was not as safe as it once was.

She was met with frowns. "We don't want you to go to Sunagakure anymore, Ahri. I alone take the deliveries. It's not safe in the village for you."

"I understand." She walked back outside, and began taijutsu training with a post she had set up. If she still was not able to meet the masked man, she was going to train until she could move no more. "Once I do these punches, then I'll do kicks, and then I'll practice my speed. 

Maybe my jumping." She eyed the tops of the corral posts. "And then my techniques. I will be the best shinobi to be trained outside a village. No…" she grinned. "I will be the best shinobi ever trained." She gave a defiant punch to the post.

"What have you taught her?" Ahri's mother asked her husband as she handed him tea, both of them watching the determined girl.

"At least the basics, body flicker, replacement, cloak…"

"Clone?"

He grinned broadly. "Kage bunshin."

"Really? She can perform such a high technique?"

He nodded his head. "She worked two weeks on it, but she finished it. I also taught her the great fireball."

She laughed. "You've taught her much from you clan. I really should train her tomorrow."

"Mind tricks?" He hugged her. "Yamanaka Hitomi… She'll develop your clan's genius if you unlock it. It is in her blood."

Ahri scrubbed the table top of the inn's largest table until she could see her face. Satisfied with her work, she moved on to the next section of the table. Two figures walking in the door made her stop. One was a young boy, close to her age; the other was a tall man, obviously a shinobi, who wore a black outfit that covered him from toe to neck. Half of his face was hidden with bandages, and the weapon slung on his back was also covered in bandages. Ahri's father looked up to the two and smiled. "Can I get you something to eat?"

They sat down at the counter and ordered. Ahri couldn't help but stare at the larger man. Something about his stance, his cold eyes, everything, made her smile. He looked insanely powerful. The man turned to her, his eyes piercing her own. She quickly turned back to the table, scrubbing it down. When finished, she walked to a smaller table situated behind the two visitors. From her cleaning position she could watch them eat. The younger boy was the one who turned to look at her this time. She matched his gaze with a smile. _He must be a young shinobi, traveling with his master_, she thought.

"Ahri!" called her father.

She glanced out of the boy's gaze. "Yes?"

"Prepare room two for our guests."

She nodded her head in compliance and rushed up the stairs.

That night, Ahri still knelt down on the main floor, scrubbing. Her fingers were pruned, but she was determined to do a week's worth of chores in one day so she could train the rest of the time. "Excuse me."

She glanced up and saw the young boy staring at her. Ahri jumped to her feet.

"My master would like a glass of water."

"Oh, sure." Ahri walked behind the counter and washed her hands quickly. "I'm Ahri, by the way."

"I'm Haku."

"Are you being trained by the…" Ahri grabbed a glass, trying to find the right words, "… by the big ninja?" _Those were not the right words._

Haku let out a small laugh. "He is Zabuza, and he is my master."

"Master?" Ahri handed the cold glass of water to Haku.

He nodded his head. "I live to serve him."

She stared at Haku. "You fight for him," she slowly mouthed. She understood, in a way. She would fight for her family; but mostly she wanted to fight Kankuro for her honor.

"When someone becomes important to you, you fight for them."

Ahri and Haku turned to see Zabuza walking down the stairs.

"Here is your water, Zabuza-sama," Haku said, handing him the glass of water.

"Go back upstairs Haku."

"Yes Zabuza-sama." Haku walked up the stairs, leaving Ahri alone with Zabuza.

He sat down on the counter, dipping his hand into the glass of water. Ahri stood behind the counter, watching him. His dry skin seemed to absorb the water. _He must be a water shinobi, and the desert is getting to him._

After the glass had been emptied, he tossed it to her. She caught it; luckily she had fast reflexes from her training. "Refill," he growled.

She refilled the water and handed it to him. His other hand absorbed this glass. Again he tossed it to her. "Refill."

Again she refilled the glass and handed it to him. This one he dumped over the top of his head, but not a drop spilled to the floor. He tossed it to her. "Refill."

She turned to the sink, but this time she set the glass in it. "If you want to soak in water, take a bath."

Zabuza stood up and walked around the counter. Ahri turned to face him; her eyes locked with his. He grabbed the hair on the back of her head and jerked it to keep her head up at an awkward angle. His eyes glared into hers. "Do you know who I am?"

"Haku called you Zabuza."

"Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist. That doesn't frighten you?"

She grinned. "No."

Their eyes remained at a deadlock. _This girl has the eyes of a killer._ He grinned under his mask.

Ahri eyed the mask; it was irritating to find another masked equal. She lifted her hand up and grabbed it, but her wrist was caught by Zabuza's free hand. "Why do you hide your face? Is there something wrong with it?"

His eyes narrowed.

Ahri focused on her hand, forcing chakra to it. By doing so she was able to rip the mask down.

Zabuza looked down at what happened in amazement, and back at the girl's cold eyes. "How old are you?"

"Age is irrelevant."

He pulled her head toward him and kissed her. When he pulled her back, her expression remained the same. "When I see you again, you'll come with me. And I'll train you to be an assassin." He let go of her and walked up the stairs.

That morning, Ahri was up early, working on her dumplings. It was her favorite meal, and slowly she was perfecting the recipe. With her first batch ready, she set them out on the counter, hoping to feed Haku and Zabuza. Haku's heart and Zabuza's body excited her in a way she could not explain. She also wanted to understand Haku; understand the allegiance he had for Zabuza. She also wanted to see Zabuza again, just because… _he's beautiful_. The two soon came down the stairs, intending on leaving. "Wait…" Ahri called out. They looked up at her; Zabuza's cold eyes piercing hers again. "I made you breakfast. It's on the house."

Haku looked up to Zabuza who nodded his head. They sat down at the counter, eating her dumplings. She eyed them for any sign that the dumplings were divine, but there were none. When they finished the meal, Haku bowed his head slightly, "Adigato, Ahri."

"Stay safe until we meet again, Haku-kun," she called after him.

He replied with a nod of his head and walked out the door.

"Zabuza…"

He turned to her with his cold eyes, and then walked out the door after Haku.

Ahri grinned at the thought that had just slipped into her mind. It had been a year since she had learned to control her powers, and since then she had developed the powers both of her parents had passed on to her. They had been so excited, stating she was the strongest of both of their clans, and had even succeeded in becoming a strong taijutsu user. Her speed was incredible, but it was the silence that came with it that was even more incredible. She could sneak upon an opponent so fast and suddenly that her father would joke that such a technique went to waste on herding cows. Even with her growing power, Ahri still seemed to be disheartened to the two, but they assumed it was boredom of being stuck on a quiet border. As Ahri lay on her bed grinning, she thought of her parents and what they believed to be the problem. She could not help but grin. She only wanted to find out who he was. _What is behind that mask, and how can I wipe the smirk off of it?_

As her parents soundly slept below, Ahri quietly changed into her training outfit: a one-piece black leather suit that came up around her neck and all the way down to her ankles, but without sleeves, much like the one she had seen Zabuza wear. She slipped on her tabi boots and pulled on her gloves. Wrapping the special leather kunai strap that her father had given her during training, she quickly slipped out of the house and leapt into the cold desert air. She sped quickly through the sand, not wanting to use her full speed that transferred a twelve hour run into three, but she also did not want to arrive too late and not make it back home in time. There was no choice.

_Shikyaku Henge no Jutsu!_ screamed her mind. The black leather soon became fur, and she ran quickly toward the village.

"Kugutsu no Jutsu2!" came a deep voice in the distance.

The panther quickly stopped in its tracks and morphed back into human form. Ahri grinned; she still recognized the voice, and obviously he was here, and with his dolls. She quickly made her way up to the area, still remaining hidden in the sand with her cloaking technique. There stood the puppet user she had once met, taller and broader than before, but still wearing his ridiculous black outfit and cat-hood, and the paint. He seemed to be camping in a small cave that sat halfway between her house and the village, and while doing so, practicing his puppet technique. Beside the two puppets he controlled, no one else seemed around.

"Your face is as ugly as I remember it," Ahri called out to the boy. She confidently walked forward. He quickly looked up, his two puppets at the ready. He then spotted Ahri.

"I see; it's you again." He grinned. "Brought any more eggs?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I seem to be all out."

He looked her over. If it had not been for her voice and statement, he probably would not have recognized her. She had formed a little more, and now had the stance of a Genin, not a mere country girl. _Still, she is only a girl that probably only received training from her worn out ninja father._ _She shoud be no match for someone with my training._

"What's your name, egg girl?"

She glared at him. "I'll only tell you if you defeat me."

He laughed. "In that case…" He pushed his hand out, and Karasu came roaring at her.

"This one is new," she breathed. Her mind quickly debated between speed and her techniques. She didn't want to give everything away, but decided to perform the perfect technique against a wooden puppet (a dangerous looking one at that) and someone who underestimated her. "Katon! Gōkaikyū no Jutsu!3" She sent a giant fireball through the air, hitting the puppet straight on before the boy could respond. The puppet dropped to the ground, in ashes, with only its metal frame lying in the sand.

"How dare you destroy my weapon!" he growled.

"Admit defeat and I won't do it to your other one."

He lifted his hand and Kuroari lifted up. "Like I will fall for it again."

"Shunshin no jutsu4," she breathed. Soon she stood behind him with a kunai to his throat. "I'll save you the trouble of fixing two of those puppets. Will you admit defeat now?"

He grinned and dropped his head as a sign of defeat. "I greatly underestimated you, egg girl. Next time, it won't be so easy for you."

She sat down by his fire in the cave and grinned. "Next time?"

He turned to her with a scowl on his face. "Did I invite you to my fi…"

"Don't make me defeat you more severely," she interrupted.

He grinned. The girl was annoying, but equally as confident as him. She had even come to gain her honor back, though it had been two years since they had last seen each other. _Obviously, I made an impression on her._

"What is your name?" she asked him.

"I asked first." He sat across the fire from her.

"You didn't defeat me."

Kankuro shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. "I guess I'll just keep calling you Egg Girl."

"And I guess I'll keep calling you Ugly Face."

He grimaced. In a way, her sharp remarks reminded him of his sister. _What a pest_. "Kankuro," he finally growled.

She met his cat-like eyes with her own. "Ahri."

"I'm impressed that you used a fire technique. Where are you from?"

"We live on the border of Wind and River. My father says when I was young, many ninja from Konoha would pass through. He picked up a few techniques from them."

"Interesting." He kept staring at her through the flames, and she returned the stare. "I can't forgive you for destroying my puppet. It'll take me a long time to fix it."

"It happens in battle." She unzipped the very top of her suit in order to retrieve a black cord that hung inside the suit and around her neck. "Take this." She tossed it over the flames and Kankuro caught it.

He examined the cord and noted a black panther pendant on it. "What's this for?"

"You made Genin," she motioned to his head band. "The last time I saw you, you didn't have a forehead protector. I'm congratulating you."

"You're a strange girl."

She smiled. "So are you."

"What?"

"I mean, I'm a girl, and I don't even play with dolls, or wear make up for that matter."

_This was now…_

Kankuro touched the pendant hanging around his neck as he laughed at his flashback. A year and a half had passed since he was given the gift, and the two had formed a close friendship. At least twice a week, they would meet at night by the cave and practice their techniques, with any fire techniques barred. Mostly, they would lightly train with taijutsu or stealth attacks, something they both felt the other could help them with.

The hot water of the shower passed over his brown hair and down the back of his neck. Many things had changed since that time, his father's death, and even his brother's resurrection, though in an emotional rather than physical way. His country had begun and ended a war with the Country of Fire. Now the villages of Sand and Leaf were fast allies. And Ahri had become an excellent cook. On any missions that required going east toward her house, Kankuro urged his siblings and Baki to stop at the tea house to enjoy a meal, no matter how small. Not only was he paying respect to her parents, but he never wanted to miss a chance to see Ahri or eat her dumplings. On one hand, she was making him fat, but with their training, she was helping him loose the weight.

Kankuro stepped out of the shower and wrapped himself in a towel. Today was a training day with Ahri, and he needed to be fully dressed for it. Though they were best friends, Ahri still had not seen his face, and he believed she sometimes preferred it that way so she could taunt him about his 'make up'. He also felt it necessary to wear his full gear because their meetings were training, and therefore important and official. When he saw her outside of training, he was on his way to a mission, and still had to wear the paint. It was _his_ mark. The paint, it separated him from his popular brother Gaara and hot headed sister Temari. Kankuro was the middle child, the overlooked puppet user who was simply referred to as "Gaara's brother". He understood how Gaara suffered as a child, but also could not help but feel jealous of his little brother. Because of his Ichbi, Gaara had amazing power, and was acknowledged because of it. Kankuro worked hard, but still was just seen as member three of Team Sand.

"Kankuro!" came Temari's voice from down the hall.

He sighed. When was that voice _not_ annoying? "What do you want?" he growled.

"Get ready, fast. We've just received a notice from Konoha. It's urgent."

"Urgent?"

Konoha was a sound he liked to hear, that led him by Ahri's house. But 'urgent' was bad; there was no stopping when there was 'urgent' He quickly slipped on his clothing and hurried into his puppet-filled room.

"What's this urgent mission?" Kankuro asked as he followed Temari and Gaara through the trees of the River Country; he could only assume that the weak Konoha shinobi were in trouble, as usual.

"The Hokage needed us to assist a five man team that went after Uchiha Sasuke," Temari stated as she jumped off the next tree branch. Traveling in trees were always much easier than in the desert. "They want him returned before he can be used by Orochimaru."

Kankuro scowled. Orochimaru had killed his father and then deceived his country into a war against Konoha. It made him feel like a puppet and this time it was Orochimaru that was pulling the strings. "Who's in the five man team?"

"Nara Shikamaru." She grinned. "Inuzuka Kiba, Akimichi Chouji, Hyuga Neji, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Kankuro looked quickly at Gaara. Ever since his brother had encountered Naruto he acted different, and in a better way. There was something special between the two that Kankuro could not place.

"Hopefully," Temari continued, "if they just set out from Konoha, we could join them before anything happens."

Kankuro closed his eyes. "Orochimaru…" he whispered. "If we have to fight him," he thought to himself, "even Gaara might not be enough." He touched the panther pendant that sat under his black shirt. "I can't die yet. Not until Ahri can see me with the paint off, until she sees me as more than a training dummy."

Kankuro knelt in front of Kiba and Akamaru with the dead bodies of Sakon and Ukon trapped inside of Kuroari. "Thanks," Kiba huffed out.

In a way, Kankuro ignored him as he pulled the pendant out from under his shirt. "Can you walk?" he finally replied back as he held the panther stone up to his lips.

Kiba stared open mouth at the pendant. "Where did you get that?" he yelled.

Kankuro looked up at him in shock. "You've seen this before?"

Kiba gave him a half-smile. "I've been choked with that before."

"You must be mistaken. The person who gave this to me has never been past the River Country, let alone to Konoha."

"Oh," Kiba said, a frown returning to him. "I had a rival back at the academy, a long time ago, and everyday it seemed I got choked with that thing." He attempted to stand up, holding the unconscious Akamaru. Kankuro helped him as the medical team showed up.

"Are you going to beg to stop at the tea house again?" Temari teased Kankuro. Her brother seemed to be in love with the dumplings served there.

"I won't beg, but I am stopping." He passed the last tree and landed in front of the house that he loved. Temari landed next to him, and Gaara landed behind the two. "After saving those Konoha brats, nothing in the world sounds better than Ahri's dumplings." He walked forward to the open door and was greeted by Ahri's smile from behind the counter.

"Hello, Kankuro," she replied.

Her father walked in from the back, carrying a basket of eggs to place on the counter. He smiled at the sight of one of his best customers. "Hello Kankuro! What brings you out this far?"

"I'm returning home form a mission." Kankuro sat the counter, ignoring the fact that his two siblings were slow to enter and seat themselves. All he could ponder was Ahri's hair; she always wore her hair up in two French braids. She even wore it like that when the two trained. He wondered what her hair would look like down.

"Oh? A mission?" The old man laughed and began making the noodles for the day. Usually, when he asked this, Kankuro would inform him of what the mission was. But today, Kankuro could not take his eyes off of the back of Ahri's head, pondering what it would look like with the hair flowing in the desert wind.

"We had to go to Konoha," Temari answered, noticing her brother's inability to respond all of the sudden. She wondered why he was staring so intently at Ahri; was he that hungry for dumplings? "And help some friends out."

"Konoha!" the old man exclaimed. "It's always good when you help out Konoha." He added a laugh, "When you help out Konoha, you pass through here."

Temari smiled as the man continued to make the noodles for her ramen.

"Gaara?" Ahri whispered. He looked up at her and slightly nodded his head. She smiled a response and turned back to the egg basket.

Soon Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara were eating dumplings, ramen, and deviled eggs, respectively. Ahri cleaned the counter as the three ate and her father went to help her mother with the livestock and garden. Temari quickly lifted her head and looked out the window to the desert. The sun was setting, and it seemed that a sandstorm would soon be stirring.

"Will you be wanting to stay the night, Temari?" Ahri asked as she followed her gaze out the window.

Temari looked at Gaara, whose expression said nothing, and then to Kankuro, who nodded his head 'yes'. "Yes," Temari finally answered.

"I will prepare your rooms for you." Ahri hurried up the stairs to the inn's rooms.

Kankuro watched her disappear up the stairs and back at his rapidly disappearing sweet dumplings. Tonight, it would be the best moment to see her with her hair down.

Gaara quietly sat on top of the sheets of his bed, silently watching his brother wipe the paint off of his face. He could not help but still be upset with himself; that last fight would have been his end if Kimimaro had not suddenly died. Without unleashing Shukaku, Gaara felt weaker. He wanted to be like Naruto, who was always able to unlock his demon's power without unlocking the demon himself. Gaara squeezed his fist. Above that, why did Ahri pay so much attention to his brother? She had instantly started on his food before remembering that Gaara was there. He put his hand up to his temple, if he continued to think like that, he would loose his self control.

"Gaara?"

He opened his eyes and saw Kankuro staring at him with a worried expression. Gaara let his hand drop back to his side and smiled. "I'm just recalling the mission," Gaara coolly stated.

Kankuro nodded his head and stood. "I'm going to get some water." He walked out the door with nothing but his black pants on. Was he trying to get Ahri to pay attention to him?

Ahri took out her last braid and smiled in her mirror. This was the first time Kankuro had to stay at the inn. Even when the three reached it at night, they would usually continue to head to the village. But with the addition of the sandstorm… her luck was changing. It was true that her relationship with Kankuro was one of training. They would occasionally discuss their families or daily routine with each other while resting from their spars, but they still approached each other professionally. He always wore that mask of paint and stupid cat hood, just like the first time she met him. It made her wonder what color hair he had, how deformed he must be under that outfit. Surely someone who went to such lengths to hide himself away and lived in the room he did would have to be deformed. If Gaara had Shukaku in him, maybe there was something equally wrong with Kankuro. Maybe Temari was the only normal child the Fourth Kazekage ever had.

A knock on her door made her jump out of her thoughts. It was probably Kankuro. Would he have his paint off? She hurried to the door and opened, then sucked in her breath quickly. It was not quite what she had expected.

"Sorry to bother you at night."

"It's alright, Gaara." She smiled. "Did you need something?"

Gaara closed his eyes slowly, making them look like a solid black hole. What did he need? He really needed to know why she never came back after he first met her. He never saw her again until he had returned from the Chuunin Exams in Konoha. His brother had insisted that they stop here at the tea house to calm themselves after all of the turmoil. Had he known she would be here? Had he known that seeing her, the only person other than Yashamaru to be kind to him, would make him realize that she had betrayed him as well? He opened his eyes again and looked at her with a smile. "I had a headache, and could not sleep."

"Oh, well, I'm a little handy with home remedies. Come in." She closed the door behind Gaara as he sat down on the edge of her bed. She grabbed a cloth and dipped it in her water basin. The cold water quickly absorbed into it, and she lifted it out, squeezing out any excess. "So I guess the mission was a success?" she asked as she sat next to Gaara, tenderly pressing the cold cloth on his temple. She could tell the spot was bothersome, the vein there was throbbing. "All of your friends were okay?"

_Friends?_ The friend he went to save had moved on without his help. The friend of his did not even know he had helped. Did she not realize that he had only one friend? "Their mission failed, most of them were hospitalized. But no one died."

"Oh," she whispered. If she didn't have the obligation to her family, she could move on to the village and become a shinobi like Gaara and Kankuro. She could have gone on the mission with them, and maybe things would not have turn out like this. Even Kankuro believed she would make a great ninja. "Is this helping at all with the pain?"

_Pain_. That four letter word that others pretended to understand but none of them really did. He knew what pain was. This throbbing in his head, that was nothing compared to pain. He brought his hand up to the cloth and paused as his hand accidentally covered hers. "Some," he finally stated, removing his hand quickly.

She smiled. "I'll try something else. My mother always does this for my father after he works for too long without rest." She brought the cold cloth down, and on second thought, laid it back into the water basin.

How could he be mad at her? She was not as treacherous as his uncle. She still gave him the same smiles as she had when they first met. She never changed her opinion of him, but why did she disappear during that time? "Thank you."

Ahri turned to him. She never heard Gaara say that before. A smile replaced her shocked face. "It's nothing. This is what friends do." She dried her hands off and walked back to the bed. "I'm gonna sit up here, and I want you to lean back and lay your head in my lap." She sat further up in the middle of the bed, and Gaara laid back. She took two of her fingers and began massaging his temples. Despite his confusion, Gaara realized that her methods were quickly working against any pain in his head.

He felt like asking her why she never showed again. He was stopped.

Ahri suddenly closed her eyes and stopped massaging his temples. Her mother had always said that she had special powers that the rest of the clan did not, and that perhaps Ahri would receive that power. At that moment, she received the empathic touch her mother spoke of. By touching someone's forehead, the empathic touch allowed the user to read the other's 

emotions, trigger any prominent memories that inspired these emotions, or even read the exact thoughts of the person. As she had been massaging Gaara's temples, his memory of meeting her as a child came flooding to her, the feelings of being abandoned by her, the anger of seeing her again, and the large question he wished to ask.

"Gaara," she whispered.

He set up and turned to look at her.

Kankuro held his glass of water steadily as he crept down the hall. His hope was to keep the water from making ripples as he walked. If he could do that, his stealth would be close to the level of Ahri's. At the thought of Ahri, he grinned. Tonight, he would see her with her hair down, like a girl, not a training partner. He stopped in front of her door and was about to knock when he heard her voice from the other side.

"Gaara," she whispered.

Kankuro scowled. _Why is she talking about him?_

"I'm sorry."

_Sorry?_

"I never meant to hurt you. I really intended on seeing you again."

_Seeing him again?_ Kankuro turned around and quickly walked into the room he was sharing with his little brother. He wasn't there. "Gaara!" growled Kankuro. "What are you doing?" He thrust the glass of water that he had brought his brother onto the nightstand, most of its contents sloshing off the top of it. If he barged into Ahri's room, it would ruin any perfect moment he had planned. If he didn't, Gaara might find something out, or something… What _was_ Gaara doing in there? Kankuro threw himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Gaara looked down at the bed between him and Ahri. _How did she know? Is she able to read my mind?_

"I know I must have hurt you," she whispered, a small tear falling from her eye. How was he able to sustain so much pain in one body? "I never would do that to a friend. But I wasn't able to go to the village after that day. I was told assassins were everywhere and things looked really bad internally there. My father made the deliveries while I was forced to stay here." Her tear fell off her cheek to hit the bed, but it was caught by Gaara's hand.

He stared at the tear being absorbed by his dry skin. _She is crying, because of… me?_

"Gaara. When we were kids, I had every intention on making you my friend. I hope… will you still be my friend?"

His mind flashed back to what Naruto said. 'I will not let you hurt my important people, my friends.' Now here was someone who would be his important person. Gaara nodded his head. "Yes." He stood and walked back to his room.

Kankuro glanced at him as he walked slowly toward his bed, lay down on it, and closed his eyes to pretend to sleep. _What happened?_

Ahri slipped out of the house as night filled the sky. It had been a week since Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro had spent the night at the inn. She was dying to train some more, and could feel that Kankuro felt the same. When she had given him the pendant years ago, she had given him a special connection to her. There were two pendants of the panther, and when worn, they would send messages to the other wearer if the emotion was strong enough. At the time, she was hoping he would wear it and she could sense his shame of being beaten, but now it had become their close bond.

She quietly crawled up the backside of the cave where the two deposited any extra equipment, mostly food and parts of a shelter in case a sandstorm arose while they trained. Tonight, she brought no extra equipment. Tonight was about a serious spar. Kankuro knelt over the wrappings of Karasu and Kuroari in front of the cave, expecting her to not be there early. It would be over quickly. She pounced on him from behind, shooting two kunai into the puppets, and holding one over his throat as she had him pinned to the ground.

Kankuro grinned. "That was quick."

"It was cheap."

"It was smart. You threw the kunai right in the heads of the puppets, blocking my replacement technique, and now you have me." He closed his eyes. "I guess you win."

Ahri sat up, releasing her hold on his two arms, while keeping his legs pinned down with her own. It almost felt like Kankuro was not even trying. Why would he come here if he did not want to fight? Why did the pendant say he was so eager for their next spar?

"I suppose I need some more training if a little cat like you is able to beat me up." He partially set up, using his arms as support.

"Kankuro… why did you come here if you're not going to try?"

He grinned and reached out to her hair. "I might have tried, but you were cheap."

His hand barely touched her face then reached behind her head to the right French braid. Why was he doing this? And why was she letting him? "Kankuro?"

His eyes met hers.

"Why…"

He interrupted her. "I just had a thought when I was at the inn last week. I've never seen you with your hair down. You always have it up for training, but even at the inn…"

She smiled. "It's so I don't get any hair in your dumplings." Her hand went up to his and she grabbed it tightly. "Kankuro… you can't really be curious about my hair. What is wrong with you?"

Kankuro gave her an astonished looked. Why couldn't he be curious about her hair? He was a guy who was appreciative of brunettes with long hair. Maybe he just wanted to appreciate her for more than her ninjutsu. Did she still see him as nothing more than a training partner? What had all these meetings meant to her, and why did she never question him about his paint? You would think training with someone for so long would cause you to want to see their face. Most asked within a day. "Do you…" he began to ask her about his paint, but decided against it. "What happened with Gaara?"

Ahri let go of his hand and it fell back to his side. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"When we were at the inn, Gaara visited your room that night, didn't he?"

"He had a headache and I helped him."

"How?"

Ahri stood up. _What is he getting at?_ "Why does that matter?"

Kankuro sprang to his feet. "Most guys just don't show up in a girl's room in the middle of the night because of a headache."

"Oh please! He's only a kid!" Ahri's disgusted face turned away from Kankuro. _What is his problem?_

"In that case, Gaara always has a purpose. What was it?" He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She continued to stare at the circle on his shirt, refusing to meet his eyes because of the earlier insinuation.

"He only wanted to know why I never came to play after I first met him. Everything is… we're friends now."

"You've met him…"

"When we were very young. The same day I met you." She knocked his hand off her shoulder. "If you're not here to train, then I have better things to do."

"Better things? I thought you were my friend Ahri."

She crossed her arms. "You're my training partner."

He scowled at her smoke as she quickly flickered away.

Kankuro continued to stare at his ceiling and surrounding puppets despite Temari's persistent banging on his door. "Kankuro! You've been in there for a day! Come out already!"

"Did he go out the window?" Gaara asked her.

"He's too fat to fit out that window anymore."

Kankuro rolled his eyes and brought his pillow up around his ears. Temari could be such a bitch. What did they know about how he felt? He thought Ahri felt more than that. Now he realized he had become a puppet, a tool for her training. She cared more for Gaara than him. _Always Gaara._

The banging on his door finally stopped and he let the pillow drop.

"Kankuro." That was Gaara's voice. "Temari is gone."

_Why is Gaara suddenly interested in my problems?_

"She's going to talk with the council. We're going to start an academy to train ninja."

_What does that have to do with me?_

"I'm going to go visit someone."

"Who?" Kankuro growled, before realizing what he said.

Gaara smiled. "I hear Ahri is in town making a delivery. I'm going to go visit her."

His footsteps retreated from Kankuro's door. Making a delivery? She started delivering again, and never even mentioned it to Kankuro. Of course, why would she need to? He quickly dressed into his customary outfit and squeezed out the window. "Too fat?" he whispered, glad to shove it down Temari's throat even if only he knew it.

He quietly raced through the town, from roof to balcony to shadows, searching for a trace of Ahri. He found her, delivering milk to Baki's house. And she had her hair down, nothing but a ribbon keeping it from flying in front of her face. Kankuro knelt in the shadow of the balcony and stared at her. He never imagined that she would look that beautiful in the desert wind. She turned toward him, but instead of looking up to where he was, she waved to someone approaching her from below. It was Gaara.

"Of course," growled Kankuro. He followed the two from the shadows as Gaara lifted one of the two milk canisters she had to carry.

The pair stopped in front of other houses, filling empty milk bottles in exchange for money. The two laughed about something, Kankuro clinched his fist until it went white. Gaara laughed, with _his_ Ahri. His Ahri with her hair down.

Gaara turned to look at Ahri as she filled the last bottle for Yura's wife. If she had only been there sooner, and stayed longer, his childhood might have been different. He might have felt like this for longer, not needing Naruto to bring him out of the darkness.

"Hey Ahri."

He turned, along with Ahri, to Kankuro who stood before them. Ahri thrust the money into her pocket and picked up the heavy canister, ignoring him completely.

"Gaara…" Kankuro began. "Temari's returned from the meeting." It had a chance of not being a lie. "She'll probably want to talk with you about the academy."

Gaara's vision narrowed on Kankuro. _What is he up to? Only one way to find out._ He handed the canister to Kankuro, and turned to Ahri with an apologetic smile. He quickly walked back to his house.

"Why did you do that?" Ahri asked Kankuro.

"Do what?"

"Tell Gaara to go away." She attempted to grab the canister from him, but he spun around, not allowing her to.

"I needed to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you." She continued to the next house.

"If anyone should be mad at someone, it should be me."

"You're the one trying to turn our training relationship into something else."

"Is that so wrong?" After she refused to respond, he quickly added, "Your hair is nice."

She turned to him with her cat eyes glaring. "You and stupid hair!"

He smiled. "Can you come with me, for… lunch?" He reached out to touch her hair.

Ahri watched his hand and felt that strange sensation again. Why was she letting him act like this? His fingers grabbed a strand and began wrapping it around them. "I have… work to do."

"You and I both know you can get a technique to do that for you."

She smiled. "Are you desperate?"

"I'm hungry."

She was about to protest again, but her stomach growled before she could.

"And you're hungry too."

She giggled. "You win." She put the canister down. "Kage bunshin no jutsu." Her shadow clone popped next to her and she assigned it the task of filling canisters. She rushed away with Kankuro to slip in through his window and into his room.

"So is there food in this scary room of yours?" She tried not to look at the puppets on the wall, their image still scared her.

"I always keep emergency food." He pulled out some snacks from a nightstand and spilled them onto his bed. "But…" He turned to Ahri with one finger raised up. "I would like to talk."

She reached her hand up to his face and quickly pulled the cathood off. "You want to talk? I want to see what you really look like."

He grinned. "You took long enough to ask."

"You wanted me to?"

"Most people just ask sooner." He grabbed a nearby cloth and wiped his face off.

Ahri sat down on the edge of his bed, watching the back of his head. "Brown hair," she thought to herself. "I thought it would be, stranger than that. Like pink hair. That would explain why he covered it."

Kankuro dropped the cloth onto his workbench and took in a deep breath. There was no more hiding behind a mask with her. If she didn't like it, well, all chances that he had with her would be destroyed. He slowly turned to face her, and her surprised face made him panic a little.

Ahri's eyes grew wide at the sight before her. His features were actually quite handsome; he seemed like a different person without his paint and hat. This was the guy she had been 

training with? With the paint on, she could pretend that everything was professional, but now, he made her heart race. "You disappointed me," she finally let out.

"What?" He was right; he should have stuck with wearing the make up and getting beaten every training night.

"I was expecting pink hair and some dreadful deformity, but it seems like you're a perfectly normal looking guy under all that make up. Of course, it doesn't change that you love to play with dolls." She pointed up to the puppets hanging along the wall.

He smiled at her. "Not what you were expecting huh? Sorry to disappoint you."

Even his smile was different with the make up off. Earlier, his smiles had always seemed menacing, but now it made his lips very attractive.

Kankuro sat next to her on the bed. "Now that you've seen what I look like, how about that talking thing?"

She turned to him with a smile. "Hit me with your best shot."

He pulled the pendant out from under his shirt. "When I was on a mission, someone said that this looked familiar. Have you strangled anyone with your cord?"

She laughed. "Is this a real question?"

"I take it that that's a no."

Her laughter stopped. "That _was_ a real question?"

"The guy seemed very insistent that he was choked by this before. I didn't know if you went off to Konoha every now and then to choke guys."

"I've never even been to Konoha." She reached back to grab a bag of cookies from his stash.

"What do you think about Gaara?"

"I thought we were talking, not having an interrogation." She opened the bag and popped the mini cookie into her mouth.

"I just wanted to know, if you felt anything for him that might be more than friendship."

She shook her head 'no' and swallowed her food. "My turn to ask you a question. Why do you care about my feelings for Gaara, and how I look with my hair down?"

Kankuro paused halfway on his stretch for his snack pile. He was not expecting a blunt question like that. He reached forward and grabbed her hand which was holding another cookie and pulled it toward his mouth, acting like he was going to steal the cookie out of her hand. She pulled it away from him, causing a small tug-of-war. He smiled and tugged once more, a little too hard, and caused her whole body to be pulled toward him. "I want the cookie."

"You're a terrible host."

He grabbed the cookie with his mouth, his lips covering her fingertips slightly. Ahri blushed and turned away as the moisture from his cookie-hungry mouth on her fingers caused her heart to race a little faster. He used his other hand to grab the cookie bag from her and placed it away from them on the bed. "I'm not a terrible host. I just thought that the cookie in question looked really… irresistible."

She glanced back at him, and her eyes quickly locked with his. He leaned in slowly toward her, his lips parting only slightly, the heat hitting her own. Her eyes closed as she tilted forward with her own lips. How could she have been so blind, not realizing that her rivalry with Kankuro had developed into something wonderful? The kiss finished, the two pulled away from each other, not finding the right words to say.

Ahri was astonished with herself, her body moving on its own. Suddenly her hand reached back up to Kankuro's face, turning it back to her lips. His hands raced up her back as 

once again they shared a kiss. This time, Kankuro began leaning her back on the bed, the snacks falling to the floor. His fingers raced through her long hair, wrapping them around his nimble fingers. Her hair, it smelled like milk and honey. He never would have expected that. His lips trailed from hers to her cheek, and to her ear. The smell of milk and honey overpowered his senses as he began nibbling at her small ears.

"Kankuro!" shouted Temari.

"Oh you have to be kidding me," he whispered.

"Are you still pouting in your room? Whatever it is, get over it!"

Ahri gave a questioning glance to Kankuro. He couldn't let her know he had been sulking about her. Not when he had her where he wanted her. He covered her ears with his hands and turned to face the door. "Go away Temari!"

"I need you as a teach…"

"Damn it Temari! I said go away!"

"Why did you send Gaara?"

"Because I wanted both of you to go away!"

Ahri pulled his hands down from her ears. She smiled and kissed him one last time on the lips, then scurried out the window. Kankuro followed suit and was out of the small window as his door fell down to a powerful wind gust.

Teaching at the academy was eating away at Kankuro. He never minded teaching there, but not having any time to visit Ahri, even when she was making deliveries in the village, really was driving him mad.

"The Chunin final is almost here," Temari announced to him as he untangled his puppets from the wire his students had used on it.

He had completely lost track of time. The month was almost over.

"I'm heading out now."

Kankuro looked up, surprised. "Now? If you would wait and let me fix…"

"Are you really going to bring _that_ one?"

The puppet he used for teaching was only a small makeshift one. He never fought with it. "No." He tossed the puppet into the corner of his room and grabbed his equipment. "Is Gaara ready?"

"He is already on his way. If we hurry, we can catch up with him." The two quickly ran out of the village, heading on the well-known path to Konoha. Gaara was already at the inn waiting on them, Ahri sitting next to him on the porch.

Kankuro grinned as he saw her. The two had kept silent about any relationship they had, whether it was their initial training one or their blossoming romantic one. "Hey there Ahri."

She smiled. "I've been invited to watch you at the Chuunin finals."

"I don't need extra baggage weighing us down," Temari declared. Both of her brothers turned to her with a glare.

"Are you able to?" Kankuro asked Ahri, attempting to ignore what Temari had said.

She walked into the house, upset by what Temari said. Kankuro followed her inside and up the stairs to her room. His siblings remained downstairs.

"She's coming with us Temari," Gaara ordered.

Temari put a defiant hand on her hip, but said nothing.

"Are you able to leave Ahri?" Kankuro asked again, as she threw some things into her pack.

"I'm coming with you. Turn around."

He turned to face the closed door. His blossoming relationship had only taken him so far. Ahri was the slow and steady type, and Kankuro still had seen little of her body. "Are you going to wear your training outfit there?"

"It's my outfit."

He heard the zipper closing and the sound of her kunai straps. "Have you told your parents?"

She raced to the window and opened it. "Otosan! I'm leaving with Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari!" she yelled.

Her father looked up from the calf he was looking at. "Where to?"

"To Konoha."

He stood up quickly and raced up the stairs. He was surprised by Kankuro standing nearby, picking up his daughter's pack. "You cannot go to Konoha."

"Why not?"

He glanced at Kankuro and sighed. "I once lived there, as did your mother. We came here to leave things behind. Her clan didn't want me to marry her. If you go…"

Ahri looked at the floor. She never knew her father and mother were from Konoha, let alone that their marriage was taboo. "They won't know who I am."

He shook his head. "You look so much like your mother at that age."

Ahri grabbed a cowl from her dresser and slipped it on over her head. It covered her entire head except for a slot for her eyes. "Now they won't recognize me."

The old man sighed. _She was eventually going to return one day, better to return with the Sand siblings._ "Keep her safe Kankuro."

He grinned. "Nothing will touch her."

The two hurried down the stairs as her father leaned against the door frame. When his wife returned from the river, he was never going to hear the end of it.

Temari cast a side long glance to the black figure that consisted of Ahri. She was surprised at the girl's ability to keep up with Kankuro, slightly behind herself and Gaara. To Temari, Ahri had only been an innkeeper's daughter and delivery girl. Dressing like a shinobi… Temari had to let out a small laugh. _ Who does this girl think she is?_

Ahri's eyes absorbed everything as the four of them flew through the trees. The Country of Fire looked nothing like how she had pictured it as a child; for some reason, she had always pictured lava everywhere. Not trees. At least not until they reached Konoha, which she imagined as an oasis in the middle of a lava-filled world.

"You might have relatives there," Kankuro said.

She turned to him. "Even if I do, I really don't think I could say anything, especially if my parents really did have a taboo marriage."

Kankuro smiled. _Taboo relationships must run through your family._ "If you see anyone using powers like yours, you'll at least know."

She knew her clan names, Neko and Yamanaka. Perhaps she would meet a long lost cousin. And there was the person who swore he had been choked by her pendant. She had long awaited to meet him.

"Finally," Temari announced. The four of them landed in front of the gates of the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

"Ahri's here as my bodyguard," Kankuro told his sister. She turned around with a confused look. Kankuro smiled. "Gaara doesn't need a bodyguard, so that wouldn't make sense. No one wants to deal with your bitchiness, so that doesn't make sense. But I'm loveable so I need the protection."

"Whatever," was her response. She turned to the gate guards and waved. By now, Kotetsu and Izumo simply waved the sand siblings through.

"Who is he?" Kotetsu asked as Kankuro and Ahri passed.

Kankuro turned to them, with a question on his lips. Then he realized they were referring to Ahri. Ahri glared at the two, but said nothing. Kankuro knew what was wrong; the outfit she wore was figure fitting, but even now at nearly fifteen years old, the girl continued to have very flat breasts. Not that he minded, but apparently she was able to pull off being a guy.

"He's my bodyguard," Kankuro answered.

Ahri turned toward him with a glare. _I can't believe he agreed with them. I'm obviously not a guy,_ she thought.

He only smiled in response to her glare.

The four continued up the street, Ahri following slightly behind Kankuro and absorbing the village around her. It was completely different from the sand village; no need for the long distance deliveries if one lived here. Several of the children stared at the four in wonder, many of them being from the academy where Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro had taught.

"Temari-san! Temari-san! I've improved my shuriken technique!" shouted one little red-headed girl.

Temari laughed. "You'll have to show it to me soon."

A boy around Ahri's age walked out of a building in response to the shouting of the children. His hair was up in a ponytail, both ears were pierced, and he had on an olive green vest. Seeing Temari, he folded his arms and gave her a half-grin. "So you're here. How troublesome."

Temari walked over to him, her siblings and Ahri continuing to walk down the street. Ahri focused her hearing on what the two were saying to each other.

"You didn't think I would be here to gain my Chuunin title? I should have gotten it last time, instead of you, Crybaby."

"It's not as glamorous as you make it out to be."

"Still crying over your duties?"

"Ugh, you're such a troublesome girl."

Ahri smiled. At least her relationship with Kankuro was not covered with annoying talk like that. Gaara turned his attention slightly to Ahri, then past her to a boy in green tights and fuzzy eyebrows. Kankuro motioned for Ahri to continue with him while the boy talked with Gaara.

"Who were those guys?" she finally whispered as she walked alone with Kankuro.

"The first one was Shikamaru. Him and Temari have a, something going on. They're not really dating though. The other one was Rock Lee. Gaara has injured him, saved him, well, at least he talks with him. That Lee guy, he's probably the only one I know that moves faster than you. Even with his weights on."

Ahri glanced back to look at the strange looking boy talking to Gaara. Faster than her while wearing weights? She couldn't wait to see his speed in action.

"Where are we headed?"

"I've been promised a meal the next time I was here. I'm going to take up that promise."

"You're always hungry."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Would you like to escort me there, bodyguard?"

The title reminded her of the gate keepers. "Do I really look like a guy?" She glanced down at her body.

Kankuro turned around and looked her up and down. "Not to me, but then again I haven't seen much of you." He flashed a clever grin then turned back to the direction he was walking.

"Kankuro!" shouted a guy from the left. "Ruff!" yelled a puppy along with it. Ahri turned to see a wild haired boy and a white puppy running to them. There was something about those two… "Ready to take me up on that meal offer?"

As the boy (apparently named 'Kiba') and Kankuro walked into a nearby ramen restaurant, the dog continued to sniff at Ahri. _Can he smell the cat in me? Why is he so persistent?_

"Ah-ruff-ruff!" the puppy shouted to its master.

Kiba glanced down at it. "What do you mean cat?"

Kankuro glanced at Ahri.

"You know the cat?"

Ahri closed her eyes. _What is this guy and his stupid dog saying?_

Kiba laughed. "He thinks he knows your bodyguard, but he also thinks he's a cat."

Kankuro laughed. "My bodyguard has never been to Konoha, so I think Akamaru is mistaken."

Kiba looked past Kankuro and to Ahri. The two locked eyes. _Why are those eyes so familiar?_ he thought

Temari slid out of her bed and walked out of the room. Ahri opened her eyes and smiled. She was probably off to see her 'Shikamaru' person. Kankuro said she would leave like that, though he never mentioned whether it was to see Shikamaru or not. Her attention turned when a soft tap sounded on her window. She quickly raced to it to allow Kankuro in.

"Hey," he greeted her with a kiss.

"I didn't think you'd actually come. What about Gaara?"

"He doesn't sleep much. He's out, somewhere. I guess he didn't want to lay in bed pretending." Kankuro pushed her hair out of the way and began kissing her neck. "I haven't been alone with you in so long…"

"You should rest before your match tomorrow."

Kankuro stopped his kisses and pulled back. "Are you trying to get rid of me for some reason?"

She blushed. "I just don't want to be a distraction for you."

"You won't be. I'll fight even harder thanks to you. Besides, the person I'm fighting is a girl. I'm actually surprised she made it so far."

"Because she's a girl?"

"Because she's only obsessed about her looks."

"So she's pretty."

Kankuro picked up Ahri and fell with her on the bed. "She's eerily thin."

Ahri ran her fingers down Kankuro's bare chest. "I'm glad you used that word."

He kissed her neck in reply, reaching his hand slowly up her shirt, resting on her stomach. When Ahri made no protest about his hand's position, he continued rising it up to her 

breasts. Kankuro grinned as Ahri moaned from the touch. Her virgin skin was sensitive to every touch. Just getting to second base was thrilling enough for the night.

Ahri ate with Kankuro the next morning with neither Gaara nor Temari returning to the hotel rooms the previous night. "What's her name?"

"Uh…" Kankuro thought as he munched on his dumplings. "Yamanaka Ino."

"Yamanaka?" She stared at Kankuro in amazement. _My mother's people!_ _Perhaps this Ino uses mind moves like I did._ "The Yamanaka use mind jutsu, like I can."

Kankuro looked up at her, astonished. "Do you think you're related to the creepy thin girl?"

"In some way or another; that's my mother's clan's name."

"I was always pretty effective at getting over your mind tricks. This little bug has nothing over me." He kissed Ahri's forehead and stood up. "Don't be upset if I beat your kinsmen to a pulp."

Ahri smiled. "I hope you do."

The two walked out to the arena where Ahri went to find her seat; it happened to be the worst seat in the house. In front of her sat a larger version of Rock Lee who happened to the loudest person she ever met. Next to him sat a girl in braided buns, another girl with pink hair, and finally a white haired Jonin with his forehead protector over one eye. He seemed to be the quietest (and in Ahri's mind, the best) out of the four. Furthermore, the two gate guards sat next to her.

"Hey, it's Kankuro's bodyguard. Shouldn't you be down there with him?" asked one.

"He's going up against Ino. I don't think he'll need his bodyguard for that."

The pink headed girl turned around angrily. "Ino has improved a lot! It's that puppet guy who should be worried."

Ahri clinched her teeth. _Has this girl ever seen Kankuro in battle before?_

"He has two of them this year," said the bun girl. "I think he's improved some too, Sakura."

The pink headed girl looked back to the arena. "I just _know_ Ino will do well."

The man with the white hair turned slightly to look at Sakura, but then saw Ahri. He glanced over her slightly, but remained silent.

Keeping her voice low, Ahri decided to speak. "The Yamanaka use mind altering jutsu. Unless she's lucky enough to actually hit Kankuro, her powers will do nothing against his puppets."

Sakura turned to face her, an angry expression on her face.

The white haired man also turned again.

"That's stupid… she's been practicing…"

"The bodyguard has a point Sakura."

"But Kakashi-sensei!" she tried to argue, but quieted and returned her furious glare to the arena floor. Ahri turned her eyes to Kakashi, but he only calmly returned to watch the matches.

Kankuro stood in-between Temari and Gaara as they watched the first match between Hyuga Neji and a shinobi from the Hidden Village of Rain. The winner of this match would be facing Temari, and Temari was confident that she could defeat Neji if she won. His Juken would be nothing against her long range wind attacks. "He's improved, but pointless for long range fighting," Kankuro told Temari.

"This will be too easy. Back to back fighting against the Hyuga clan. It's really not fair for them."

Kankuro rolled his eyes.

Neji won. There was no surprise. There was no surprise when Temari defeated Hinata, except for Hinata's use of _Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho_5. It baffled Temari for a bit, but in the end, the Sand won.

Kankuro grinned. It was time for his match. He quickly waltzed down the stairs to face-off with Ino. In the arena, they bowed to each other, Kankuro quickly slipping off his puppets onto the ground. To the surprise of everyone, Kankuro charged at Ino, which threw her off her battle plan against the puppet master. He beat Ino down with the speed he had gained from working with Ahri, but she was able to deflect a kunai into his forehead. He, of course, had used his replacement technique, and now Ino was faced with Karasu, his third eye holding the kunai. Ino shrieked as the arms wrapped around her own, slowly tightening to crush her arms.

"Match!" shouted the referee. The puppet dropped Ino to the ground and returned to its master.

Ahri grinned from her seat. He used an approach that none of the spectators expected: taijutsu. She could not help but feel a little pride; that kind of taijutsu was her own. The final match of the first round was Rock Lee versus Gaara. Both had improved since their first fight, but Gaara was still superior to Lee.

This meant that Kankuro had to fight his own brother, and there was a high likelihood that one of the brothers would be fighting Temari. Ahri slouched in her seat some. _How did this happen?_

Gaara stared at Kankuro as they faced each other in the arena. One of them had to fight Temari. Kankuro would be perfect for the match; they constantly fought at home. But Gaara was not going to let that happen. Despite Kankuro being his brother, he deserved some pain. What Kankuro and Ahri did not know was that while he was unable to sleep, Gaara had sat atop of the building across from the hotel last night.

He had seen everything.

_Kankuro doesn't deserve Ahri; and Ahri should know better than to be with him._

Kankuro stared back at Gaara. He thought he would never see the day he would have to go one-on-one with his brother. A large part of him had hoped that Rock Lee would have won. _Anything to keep me from fighting Gaara._

"Why were you with her last night?" Gaara finally asked.

Kankuro froze as his hand reached back for his puppets' wraps. _How does he know?_ "Where were you?"

"Across the street. I saw you." He clinched his fists. "Why?" Gaara asked again.

Kankuro swiftly threw the ribbons off of his puppets, and they landed in front of him. He also grabbed an emergency scroll and unrolled it in front of him. He wiped his blood across from it and his newest puppet emerged, Sanshouo. With his three puppets ready, Kankuro stared again at his little brother. "Because… she's special to me."

Gaara's eyes widened at the response. His hands still folded in front of him, the sand slowly started pouring out. Kankuro jumped on the back of Sanshouo and caused the other two to swiftly circle Gaara. The sand hit Karasu dead on, knocking its limbs apart. Kankuro grinned as he used the several different pieces to try to penetrate the sand shield that rose. Gaara did not 

even concentrate on the puppets around him, but his anger began to boil as his sand began to climb around the bottom of Sanshouo. Kankuro quickly noticed the sand attempting to close in around his head and ducked into the hollowed body of Sanshouo.

Ahri jumped up from her seat, knowing the move that Gaara planned. "No!" she shouted as the audience remained quiet. Those around her, noting her feminine yell, stared in disbelief.

"Sabaku Soso6!" shouted Gaara, clinching his fist.

Ahri nearly screamed again, but realized no blood came from the sand. Instead, Sanshouo jumped out of its prison of sand, Kankuro springing from his back. In shock and relief, Ahri melted back into her seat. Again, Kakashi calmly eyed her then returned to watching the match.

Gaara raised his hand, "Suna Shigure7!"

Again, Kankuro jumped into Sanshouo's hollowed body, and instead of jumping out, he remained inside. Gaara continuously used desert coffin and desert funeral on the puppet, hoping to break it apart on the inside. In the mean time, Kankuro found that the sand surrounding Gaara was reacting slower to his puppets. Right as he was about to make his move with a combined attack from Karasu and Kuroari, his brother collapsed in front of him, clinching the sand he stood upon. Afraid of his anger over Ahri, Kankuro remained inside of his salamander puppet, but did not continue the attack.

Gaara looked up, and through the peep holes, Kankuro could see small tears in his eyes. The younger brother stood up and faced the match judge. "I forfeit." He calmly walked away.

Kankuro breathed in deeply. _What had caused that sudden change?_

Temari laughed as she sat next to Kankuro at Ichiraku's. "I can't belief how weak your attacks are against wind."

Kankuro grinned. "You don't have to act so cocky, just because you won a tournament, which was only against close range fights and your younger brother." He leaned over to Ahri's half-empty bowl of ramen and stole one of her eggs.

Shikamaru, sitting on the other side of Temari, yawned. "You are pretty troublesome, just because you won."

Ahri sat quietly. After the tournament, Kankuro had whispered to her that Gaara had seen them the night before. Not only was it embarrassing, but Ahri was afraid that her relationship with Kankuro was going to drive Gaara away. "I'm going to take a walk," she finally said.

"Do you want me…" Kankuro offered.

She shook her head 'no' and walked away, looking to the rooftops for Gaara. As she searched, she bumped into another person. "Sorry…" she started, but then realized it was the Kiba-fellow from the day before.

"So you're not really his bodyguard?" was all the guy had to say.

Ahri's eyes squinted at the boy. _What is it about that face?_ "He's with Temari. I'm sure she's capable of watching him."

"I didn't know they were hiring girl bodyguards in the Sand."

_Damn it!_ she thought to herself. She had forgotten to hide her voice. "The Sand cares about ability, not petty things like gender, or smell, in your case."

Kiba scowled. "At least my face isn't so pathetic that I have to cover it."

Ahri grabbed the top of her hood and flung it off. Her parents didn't want her noticed, but someone this young wouldn't know what her mother looked like. "I think you need this hood more than I do." She offered it to him with a cruel smile.

"I was hoping to get some quiet time with Naruto gone, but if you're hanging around… I guess I won't."

Ahri calmly unzipped the very top of her outfit to allow her skin to breathe, and to make it easier to put her hood back on when she needed to. "Why would I want to hang around you?"

Kiba shrugged his shoulders. "You said you were skilled. That sounded like dueling words to me."

She laughed. "You sound desperate to me." She began walking to the hotel, but Akamaru jumped out in front of her. By trying to act cocky, she had lost part of her control on senses and easily fell backwards from the surprise.

Kiba laughed this time. "Skilled? I'm very impressed then." He looked down at the girl, but stopped laughing when he saw the panther pendant sticking out from the partially unzipped outfit. "Ahri?"

Her eyes widened in fear as she looked up at Kiba.

"Ahri!" he said again, kneeling down next to her.

"You know me?" she asked, wondering if perhaps he had stopped at the inn when she was younger and could not remember.

"You… you don't remember me?" he asked, confused and somewhat hurt.

"Should I?"

"You tortured me all the time back at the Academy…"

"You must have me confused with another Ahri; I've never been to the academy. And this is my first trip to Konoha at that."

"No. Neko Ahri. Did something happen to your memory? I mean, we hung out all the time and then my third year at the academy, you just, disappeared."

She closed her eyes. _Why don't I know what he is talking about_? Her parents were from Konoha, not her. "I… I really don't know what you are talking about."

"Come with me, please?" He reached a hand out to her. "I can try to help your memory. I'll take you to your old house."

She took his hand, but quickly replaced her hood.

"Why? Why the hood?"

If what he was saying was true, then Kiba was a friend, and could be trusted. "I'm not supposed to be recognized while here. So… we have to pretend, that you never recognized me."

"Why?"

"It's so important, that I don't even know the reason why."

Kiba took her hand again. "I won't say a word. But come with me." He hurried off at a quick run, but it was easy for her to keep up.

They soon turned down a dark street that had long been deserted from the looks of it. After passing a few of the empty buildings, Kiba led her to the broken door of one. "Was this, my house?"

"This whole area belonged to your clan. They all died when Konoha was attacked last year."

Ahri remained silent as Kiba led her through the dusty house and into the main room. He and Akamaru sat down, and she joined them.

"Is anything coming back?" he asked.

Ahri closed her eyes. Nothing was coming to mind. "No."

"Man, I really thought this would do it."

"Kiba, close your eyes and concentrate on a memory of us together."

He gave her a quick questioning glance, but then went along with it. When he did so, Ahri gently touched his forehead. The memories came rushing in. There were so many, that Ahri quickly had to release him, causing her to fall back into the dust. Kiba leaned over her. "Ahri? Are you okay?"

A stir from the front door caused him to grab her limp body protectively and crouch down into his beast mode. Akamaru stood before him, at the ready.

Kankuro burst into the room, trapping Akamaru into Kuroari after being lunged at by the dog. "What did you do to her Kiba?" he growled.

Kiba hugged Ahri closer. "She, read my mind, and then collapsed."

"Why?"

"I don't know; she read too much."

Akamaru began whimpering and howling to be let out of the puppet.

"Not why did she pass out; why was she reading your mind?"

"She was trying to remember her past. Let Akamaru go."

Kuroari opened and the dog jumped out. Kiba then explained to Kankuro about his friendship and rivalry with Ahri when they were young, and how she could not remember any of it. The rivalry had arisen from the Inuzuka clan's use of dogs and the Neko clan's use of cats. Despite that their clans despised each other, Kiba and Ahri had a secret friendship when they were away from everyone, including the childhood romance of a first kiss.

"I thought I was never going to see her again after she disappeared. And now she's here."

Kankuro reached out territorially for Ahri. If he knew about Kiba and Ahri's past he would have never saved him from Sakon and Ukon. "And she's leaving tomorrow," Kankuro responded.

Kiba clutched on to the limp body, his beast-like appearance growing. "Like hell she is! I'm not letting you take her away from me!"

Kankuro pulled out a kunai and growled. "I fought Gaara for her; don't think I'm afraid to fight you."

As Kiba and Kankuro growled at each other, Ahri stirred. The two guys stopped their fight to turn to her. She scooted her head closer to Kiba's chest. "Kiba," she whispered.

Kankuro's mouth dropped; Kiba smiled and brought his hand up to her face. She went still again, but had said enough. Kankuro turned away and walked out of the dusty house.

"Nee-chan!" yelled Kiba as he ran through his sister's door carrying Ahri. Akamaru came trotting behind.

"Kiba?" his sister asked as she appeared from the backroom. Her eyes lit up in fright at the sight of the unconscious girl in Kiba's hands.

"She's," started Kiba, "I want to make sure she's okay."

"Who is she?"

"Neko Ahri."

Hana cleared off her table quickly. "How did you find her?"

"She came with the Sand Team to watch the Chunnin exams. She didn't remember anything about living here, but she had the power to read my memories. I think – so much flooded to her that it overwhelmed her." He laid her unconscious body on the table.

"She had her memory erased?" Hana asked.

"She told me that she had amnesia from a fall. A part of me can't believe that, but a part of me wants to because she seemed so sincere about it."

Hana grabbed a wet cloth and placed it on Ahri's head. "I'm only a veterinarian Kiba. We should probably take her to the hospital – "

"No!" Kiba shouted.

Hana stood aback.

Kiba's eyes lowered to Ahri's face. "She said no one was to know she was here. Until she wakes up and tells us otherwise, we can't let anyone know."

"Especially mom," Hana smiled. "I covered for you two when you were children. I guess I'll just have to start again. After I check her, take her up to your room and cover her with your clothes and blankets."

He nodded his head in compliance.

Kiba sat up in his bed, scratching Akamaru behind his ears. Next to him on the bed slept Ahri, covered in his blankets and a jacket, hoping to cover her scent from other members of his family, especially his mother who had always disapproved of his friendship with someone of the Neko clan. "I wonder what happened to her Akamaru."

The growing puppy looked up at him. "Rrr-ruff," he responded.

"Yeah, we should make her comfortable before trying to answer questions. She had to be living in the Country of the Wind all this time to be that close to Kankuro and Gaara, especially since Kankuro said he fought with his brother over her."

Kiba turned to the body that moved next to him. "Kiba?" she whispered.

Akamaru jumped off his lap as he bent down next to her. "Yes?" he whispered.

She turned to face him. "I want to know…" she paused. "I want to know why we left. I want to know why I don't know anything."

Kiba smiled. "I know you do. And I want to know too. I've missed you."

She smiled back. "I could tell. Your emotions screamed it when I read your memories."

He blushed; he never knew she could read emotions too. She seemed so calm about it, _maybe deep inside she misses me too_. _Maybe she knows something was missing in her life_. Kiba traced his finger over her face. "I always wonder, where would we be if you had stayed?"

Ahri turned her face away from his. She knew how he felt about her. For him, their childhood romance turned into a great longing when she left. She had been able to completely forget about the relationship and had devoted herself to Kankuro. _Where is Kankuro?_ "Kiba… I need to go back to Kankuro. I need to talk to him."

Kiba's hand pulled back sharply. He had not expected that, not after she had called out his name in front of Kankuro.

"I need to tell him… I need to tell him that I have to stay here. I have to search for answers. I need him to tell my father that."

Kiba let out his breath. There was still a chance for him. His finger dropped to her face again, tracing the curves of her cheek. "I'll take you to the hotel in the morning. You should probably rest some more."

Ahri closed her eyes. He was right; her legs felt like they had been electrocuted.

"I'll go from here alone," Ahri whispered to Kiba. He and Akamaru stood outside the downstairs door of the hotel. "It would be… awkward."

"I understand."

Ahri nodded her hooded head and dashed up the stairs to Kankuro's and Gaara's room. After a few knocks, Kankuro opened the door. His hair was still messed up from sleeping; Gaara was nowhere to be seen. "What do you want?" he groggily asked.

Ahri looked down at her feet. "This morning… Kiba told me what happened last night. You came to protect me, and I…"

"Asked for Kiba."

"I didn't ask!" Before anyone in their rooms could hear their argument, she pushed Kankuro into the room and slipped in, closing the door behind her. "I was overwhelmed from all his memories of me. Apparently we knew each other for a really long time, or spent a lot of time together."

Kankuro crawled onto the edge of his bed. "What else happened last night?"

Ahri set on the bed next to him. "I slept, a lot." She smiled. "It happens when you're unconscious."

Kankuro miserably put his head in his hands.

"What's wrong?" She reached her hand to his bare back then noticed several scratches on it.

"I trailed you and Kiba and some of their damned dogs found me. They scratched me up pretty badly before I could escape."

Ahri grinned. "You were that worried?"

"I didn't trust him. Just because he's an ally doesn't mean – You're very beautiful and I don't want someone to take you away from me."

She pulled off her hood. "Thank you."

Kankuro looked up with a smile. "Are you coming back with us?"

"No."

He sat up quickly. "Why not?"

She leaned toward him where she would only be whispering into his ear. "I need you to tell my father that I'm searching for answers. And I need you to wait for me to find those answers."

Kankuro smiled. "Don't make me wait too long. I'll have to come find you." He kissed her.

Ahri placed her hand on the panther pendant that rested on his bare chest. "As long as you have this, we won't be far." She unzipped the top of her outfit to pull out her own pendant.

Kankuro reached his hand out to touch the pendant, but bypassed it to graze the soft skin of her upper chest. He pushed back on her, and she complied by leaning back against the bed. "Hold on," he whispered. He motioned to the two puppets that leaned against the wall, and soon had Karasu blocking the door and Kuorari blocking the window. "Think that will work?"

"If you could make them turn around…" she joked.

He smiled and motioned with two of his fingers. Both puppets turned their heads away. Kankuro then leaned in for another kiss while propping up his one hand with his elbow on the pillow next to her head. It was true skill to be able to use one hand for his puppets and the other on Ahri. His free left hand slid down her upper chest, over her bra, and down her stomach to the 

zipper. His stomach squeezed tight as his fingers happened over the top of her black thong; he had to grin. The thong matched her bra.

Ahri smiled. She knew he was grinning about her matching set. As his fingers traced the outline of her thong, she closed her eyes and lifted her hands up to his neck. His face turned back to hers and leaned in to kiss as his fingers slipped under the black satin material.

Kiba sat down on the sidewalk outside of the hotel door, tossing a small stone into the street. Akamaru lifted his head and looked up to the window of Kankuro's room. From his angle, he could see nothing. "He must really be mad, or something," Kiba whispered.

"Rrrr-ruff!" Akamaru replied.

"Maybe she's in trouble, and I should go up." He stood to walk up but was interrupted by Gaara walking slowly to the door.

"You shouldn't go up," Gaara replied like he was the one Kiba had addressed it to.

"Wha… why?"

Gaara closed his eyes. "They're saying goodbye." He opened them again and slowly walked up the stairs and into the hotel. He knocked once on the door and announced, "Kankuro, Temari wants to leave soon." Then he walked back down the hall and out the door past Kiba.

Kankuro rested his head on Ahri's stomach. She let out her breath, if Gaara had not have come when he did, Kankuro and her probably would have gone too far. He let his puppet hand drop and the two figures fell to the floor. Ahri sat up some, causing Kankuro to slide up with his lips against her neck. "I don't want to leave you," he finally admitted.

Ahri bent her head down to kiss the top of his head. "I'll be back soon."

Kankuro kissed her once more on the lips. "You owe me one for having to talk to your father."

"I'll repay ten-fold." She caressed his cheek with her thumb. "Thank you."

Ahri shook hands with Temari. "Keep an eye on Shikamaru for me so he doesn't get too lazy," Temari whispered so that only Ahri could hear. Temari blushed. "Girl-to-girl, I like the guy. He's just too lazy to notice; no telling."

"I promise."

Ahri walked over to Gaara who stood quietly to the side. "Gaara…"

"Do you love Kankuro?" he interrupted. His sour eyes turned away from hers.

Ahri smiled. "I love all three of you."

His eyes opened wide as he met hers. She reached her closed hand out to him; he opened his own for whatever she had. As they pulled their hands away from each other, Gaara noted the deviled egg that she had given him. He grinned. "Thank you."

Ahri turned to Kankuro and quickly hugged him. "I'll be back soon," she whispered in his ears. She pulled away from him and touched her hidden pendant; he did the same to his.

"Let's head out!" Temari ordered. The three walked out of the gates slowly, the three new Chuunin of Sunagakure.

As their images disappeared into the distant trees, Ahri turned back to Kiba and Akamaru. "Now… where to start our search?"

Kiba had been staring at the ground. He had smelled Kankuro's scent all over Ahri when she returned down the stairs of the hotel; his heart was burning from the confusion.

"I find it a little strange that Kankuro has left but his bodyguard remains."

Ahri, Kiba, and Akamaru turned to the source of the voice. Kakashi sat on the roof of the gatekeepers' hut, casually reading _Icha Icha Violence_. Ahri closed her eyes; from Kiba's 

memories of her, she recalled seeing this man constantly at her father's house while she and Kiba hid in the secret passageway. It seemed that even when they successfully hid from her parents, this – Kakashi – always seemed to spot them, though he would never tell anyone where they were. Kiba's memories did not tell her _why_ he was always at her father's house.

"Kiba," Ahri whispered. "Let's start with him." She quickly jumped on top of the gate house roof next to Kakashi.

"Oh?" Kakashi asked, with a somewhat bemused face. "Did you have something to ask me?"

"What is your relationship with Neko Kin?" she asked bluntly.

Kakashi narrowed his one eye. Before Ahri could react, he had grabbed her hood and pulled it off her head.

Kiba and Akamaru gasped as they watched the scene.

Holding Ahri's hood in his hand, Kakashi froze. "Ahri?" he asked.

She grabbed her hood from him. "Who are you?" she asked.

"You look just like your mother," he stated, closing his book and stuffing it into his back pouch. "Come with me." He took off over the rooftops toward the abandoned area that once belonged to the Neko Clan. Ahri took off after him, and Akamaru and Kiba followed her.

Kakashi landed in front of her old house, calmly walking inside; Ahri quickly followed. _Why does everyone have to bring me back here?_

"Kiba." Kakashi said as he took one step up toward the main room.

Kiba and Akamaru walked forward from the open doorway, surprised at how he noticed them.

"I need to talk to Ahri alone. Get her stuff from the hotel and take it to my room."

"But…" Kiba and Ahri both said.

Kakashi raised his hand. "Right now, she has become my responsibility."

Kiba nodded his head and hurried off to the hotel. Kakashi slowly walked into the main room and sat down; much like Kiba had done the night before. He motioned for Ahri to sit in front of him. She complied.

"What do you remember?" Kakashi asked her.

"I don't really and truly remember anything," she answered. "I read Kiba's memories of us last night. Many of them had us hiding in this house's secret passage." She quickly eyed the house. "Over there." She pointed to a part of the wall that had a passage running through the inside of it. "There are peep holes in it, and we could see when you came to visit my father. I don't know why you visited. I can't remember who you are; I just know that you have a tie to my father."

"So the mind seal did work…" he whispered.

"Mind seal?"

"Have you ever seen your bald head?"

"No."

"If you had, you would see a seal mark around the very top of your head. It sealed your early memories away. Even though you have Kiba's memories, they're still from his point of view. You're not getting your own memories back."

"Why?"

Kakashi smiled. "One question at a time! You asked me about my ties to your father. I have a few. One is your father's sensei when he was a Genin and Chuunin was my father, Hatake Sakumo, and was part of the mission that ended my father's career." He looked at Ahri's 

questioning glance. "The mission was vitally important to Konoha, but instead of completing it, my father chose to save your father and two other Chuunins. The mission was a failure, and in the end… it cost my father his life."

Ahri looked down at her hands. Her father was the cause of Kakashi's father's death.

"Also, I was on a team with your aunt."

Her head lifted back up. _I had an aunt? Well of course I did, but I can't remember her_. Not even Kiba's memories showed her an aunt.

"Your aunt, your father's little sister, was Neko Rin. She was very close to me until she died. Because I couldn't keep my word that I would protect her, I made a vow to your father. I would protect you if there was a need."

"Protect me from what?"

"Ah. This ties in with why your memories are sealed." Kakashi placed a finger to his chin. "I really shouldn't tell you, it defeats the purpose of the seal, but since you're already here…" He grinned beneath his mask. "I'll do the best I can. I don't know if anyone can break the seal; the Third Hokage put it on you, and for all I know he's the only one that knew how to break it. But the union of your father and mother, it was a taboo because of the power that the union would create. Yamanaka Hitomi was the most gifted of her clan, her mind control jutsu that she developed went above and beyond the clan's, such as her ability to read memories and emotions. Neko Kin had a power above his clan's ability; he had the Cat's Eye. Like the Sharingan, his Cat's Eye could see moves slightly before they happen, but it also can be used to create illusions in another's mind. Both of these powerful abilities placed into one person – you – makes a very powerful opponent, and very powerful, body."

Ahri stopped staring intently on Kakashi. The idea of the Cat's Eye sounded amazing to her. Apparently she had not developed all of her bloodline limits like she thought she had. _But what is important about my powerful body?_ "Body?"

"There is someone, Orochimaru…"

"Orochimaru," she growled. He had been the one that killed Kankuro's father. Kankuro spent weeks of training after that, punishing her for what Orochimaru had done.

"I see you have heard of him. He has developed a technique to give him eternal life. In doing so, he needs hosts."

"Bodies."

Kakashi nodded his head. "He prefers bodies that already have powerful abilities. We heard that he was 'excited' about your parents' marriage, and could only assume that he would return to Konoha to retrieve you."

"So he could develop my abilities and then, take over my body?"

"Yes."

Ahri swallowed. Her throat felt dry; and felt like it was closing in on her. "Where is he now?"

Kakashi sighed. "Hopefully he's forgotten about you. He just recently took over a new host. It'll be two and a half years until he can do that again. And he already has the next one lined up."

"Who?"

He closed his eyes. "My former student, Uchiha Sasuke. He wants Sasuke's Sharingan. We've been trying to retrieve Sasuke back, but… we're having to wait on information."

Ahri hugged her knees to her chest.

"In the mean time," Kakashi blurted. She looked up to see a smile on his face. "I can train you. My other two students have taken on apprenticeships with others. For these two years, I have time to train you. If you want."

"What about my family?"

"They'll be safe if you're not there. He wants you, not them. And I will protect you with my life."

Ahri stood up. "Okay."

"Uh… Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi and Ahri turned to face Kiba and Akamaru.

"I moved Ahri's things to your apartment." Kiba glanced at Ahri's ambivalent face. "Is that okay, Ahri?"

She smiled. "Thank you, Kiba." She left the dusty house, squeezing his shoulder on the way out.

* * *

1 _Shikyaku Henge no Jutsu: _Four-Legged Beast Transformation Technique

2 _Kugutsu no Jutsu_: Puppet Technnique

3 _Katon: Gōkaikyū no Jutsu_: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

4 _Shunshin no Jutsu: _Body Flicker Techinque

5 _Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho: _Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms

6 _Sabaku Soso:_ Desert Funeral

7 _Suna Shigure:_ Sand Drizzle (Rain of Sand)


	2. Pt 2 The KakashiAhri Arc

PART TWO

_The Kakashi-Ahri Arc_

Ahri lay awake on Kakashi's floor. She had brought very little with her from home, only a pack with one small blanket, two changes of clothes (her pajamas and her blue kimono that she wore when working at the teahouse), some food, extra kunai, some bandages, and her thin wallet from delivery tips. That night, Kakashi had to supply a pillow and extra blanket. As she stared at his ceiling, she wondered about her monetary situation on top of her future training, and possibility of being killed by the dreaded Orochimaru.

Her mind wondered to Kakashi. He even slept with that mask on. What was with that? Was he deformed, like she thought Kankuro had been, or was he hiding a nice face like Kankuro actually was? And on another level, it reminded her of Zabuza. It reminded her strongly of Zabuza. She turned on her side, facing his bed. He was a soundless sleeper. Her eyes crept to the nightstand and the books piled on top of it. Icha Icha books: her sensei was a pervert. She couldn't help but smile. Who would have thought she would train under a pervert?

She also wondered why his other students were training under others. Who were they? Did they train under others because of what happened with the Sasuke kid? There were so many questions that she could only answer through time. The first thing she wanted to fix was her monetary situation. For once, money matters seemed the easiest to fix. Her eyes finally closed as she thought of different ways to make some money in a place that she had to conceal her identity.

Ahri tied her long hair into a bun, watching herself in Kakashi's small mirror. With her hair in a bun tied with blue ribbon, and her body covered in the blue kimono, she thought she looked like any other girl who worked in a tea house, not a shinobi.

A knock accompanied with "Are you finished?" came from the door.

"Yes," she answered. The door opened with Kakashi holding a bag of groceries.

"Sorry about the lack of food," he apologized with a smile. "I've been out of town for awhile." He deposited the bag on his small counter. His apartment was small, a two room studio; the second room being the bathroom (which was so small that one could not even change clothes in it without some acrobatic skills).

"How do you live in such a small place?" she asked. "Our inn wasn't large, but there was room to breathe."

Kakashi grinned. "I'm not in it much, unless it's to read a book or do paper work."

She glanced at the desk in the room. It was covered in papers. "You need a girlfriend," she stated bluntly.

He laughed.

"Is it because there's something under the mask you don't want girls to see?"

He stopped laughing as she walked up to him.

"Why do you wear the mask?"

"Why does anyone wear a mask?"

Ahri quickly reached up and grabbed the top of the mask, but her wrist was being held in place by Kakashi's hand.

"You're fast."

She slowly closed her eyes. "Not fast enough."

"I had several advantages over you. I'd like to see what you can do, but first I need to go to Tsunade. She'll be the only other person we'll have to tell your true identity to. I think your peers from the Academy won't be able to recognize you like Kiba did."

Ahri clinched her fist that he held on to, maintaining a hold on the mask.

"You're also stubborn."

She opened her eyes again. "I hear it can be a good personality trait." She reached one finger down the mask. "I don't feel any scars or deformities."

Kakashi's cold eye locked with hers. She smiled, and to his amazement, built up chakra into her arm and hand, breaking his hold on her and pulling the mask down.

"All that hard work to cover that up? You and Kankuro both…" She dropped her hand back down. "It's almost like you're afraid of girls." She casually turned to the groceries. "What would you like to eat?"

"How did you learn to do that?" he asked, staring at her.

"Do what?" She pulled out some eggs.

"Focus your chakra to break a hold like that."

"I taught myself. After sparing with Kankuro for so long, I needed a way to break Karasu's grasp." _And apparently it's my ultimate mask removing technique against you hot, older shinobi._ "Do you like dumplings?"

He sat down on his bed, grabbing the Icha Icha book on top of the stack, forsaking his mask for the time being. "Is that all you can make?"

"It's my best dish, but not all I can make."

"Dumplings are fine."

Ahri put the groceries away and pulled out dishes. "Are you pouting because I took your mask off?"

Kakashi did not reply.

She rolled her eyes, and worked on the dumplings. The speed she had gained in training had begun to show itself in her work. Her dumplings only took half the time to make and tasted better than most other places. Kakashi watched her speed from the top of his book. Everyone was right when they declared that her abilities would be amazing; she was the same level as Naruto, and without being a host to a tailed demon. He only hoped that he would be able to teach her better than he did with Sasuke.

"Ready!" she announced.

"That was quick."

She carried the plate to him. Two pictures on his night stand caught her eye. One was the Kakashi of today with three young students, a dark haired boy, a pink haired girl, and a blonde kid scowling. "Are those your students?"

He turned to the picture. "Yes."

_So the pink-haired girl at the stadium, Sakura, was one of his students. _"Which one is Sasuke?"

"In the blue."

"No wonder he left."

Kakashi's eye opened wide as Ahri's finger hovered over Sasuke's image. _Can she read memories and emotions through photos as well?_

"He looks miserable. Already he believed there was more out there. It was downhill from the start." She turned to the other picture. "Is that my aunt? It has to be, she has the same facial markings that my father does." Ahri stared at the girl in the picture.

Kakashi casually watched her as he tasted the dumplings. _Wow, these are delicious._

"Kiba said that all my family died when Konoha was attacked."

"Not all. Just the Neko clan."

"So my father and I are the last?"

He nodded his head.

"Am I closely related to Ino?"

"Your mother and her father are siblings."

Even knowing that, Ahri was glad that Kankuro beat her to a pulp. "Are we going to this Tsunade-person after you eat?"

"I don't know if I can finish eating with food this good." He cleaned off his plate and stood to get seconds. Ahri rushed in front of him, grabbing the plate.

"You'll get more food later." She placed the plate in the sink and covered the rest of the dumplings. "I need to know…" She paused as she turned back to Kakashi who was covering his face again. "I need to know something about my future."

Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "At least you know I'm in it."

She rolled her eyes. _How reassuring_.

Ahri stood silently behind Kakashi in the Hokage's office. She felt naked under that woman's stare. "Obviously she's worth protecting if the Third believed it to be so. And since recent events..." Tsunade looked her up and down. "Since I'm training Sakura and Jiraiya is training Naruto, you are available to be her master; but I also have missions for you regarding the Akatsuki, Sasuke, and Orochimaru. Taking an apprentice now would only get in the way."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "She's already skilled enough to come with me on missions. Kankuro of the Sand was using her as a bodyguard."

Tsunade remained silent as she stared at Ahri. Finally she nodded. "She needs a new identity; we can't give her an ID under her current name."

"I suggest using my own name for her," Kakashi calmly stated. "I already thought about it when I told her I would train her. Hatake Ahri. No mentioning of Neko or Yamanaka."

Tsunade wrote things down on the paper in front of her. "Make sure she receives her forehead protector, and be ready for a mission, soon."

Kakashi nodded and lead Ahri out of the room.

"Your name?" she asked.

"What's wrong with my name?"

"It means I'm going to have to pretend that I'm related to you."

Kakashi grinned. "It's your punishment for unmasking me and not letting me have seconds."

Ahri bit her bottom lip. She never realized that her cooking was that good; she only assumed that Kankuro ate at the inn so much because of his feelings for her.

"KAKASHI!" someone shouted. Ahri looked up and saw the annoyingly loud man from the Chuunin exams. She glanced to Kakashi who made no notice of the man.

"You should go down to the dumpling restaurant," Kakashi told her. "You could get a temporary day job there while we train at night. I won't take you out on a mission with me until I'm sure you can keep up with me."

"I could run circles around you old man." She hurried off to the dumpling restaurant she had seen earlier in hopes for a job.

"KAKASHI!" Gai yelled again, pointing a finger to him. "It's time again for another test of youthful strength! This time, we will race to the end of the walkway! Whoever looses has to do 1000 jumping jacks!"

"Did you say something?" Kakashi asked, pulling the Icha Icha book out of his pouch.

"Aha! As cool and casual as ever!"

Kakashi held his fingers up behind the book and flickered to the end of the walkway. "Uh, sorry Gai. I have training to do with my new apprentice."

Gai stared open-mouthed at Kakashi. "Yes! The youthful spirit in you has beaten me again! I will commence to my jumping jacks now!" He began doing the jumping jacks where he stood. Kakashi shook his head and walked to his apartment to grab a second helping of the dumplings Ahri had made.

Kakashi looked up from his book as the door to his apartment opened and Ahri lumbered in. She quietly bent over her one backpack and slipped in her wallet. She then grabbed the ribbon holding her hair up and tucked it into the pack. Wordlessly, she pulled out two elastic bands and a comb and began putting her hair into two French braids. Kakashi turned his eyes back to the book, but could not help but steal a glance here and there. He had told her she looked like her mother, but that was only half true. She looked a lot like Rin too. _About fifty percent Rin and fifty percent Hitomi_. It was a ghost from his past.

Ahri grabbed her black outfit and stood to go change in the bathroom.

"We're not training tonight."

She closed her eyes to hold in the anger. "What?"

"Well, not physically anyway. You don't need to put that on."

She stormed to her bag and threw the outfit back in.

_Just like Naruto would_, Kakashi laughed to himself.

"What am I doing?"

He stood and pulled three large books off a shelf above his desk. "Studying." He handed her the books. "I'd let you use the desk… but I have paper work to do." He grinned and sat down at the desk.

Ahri climbed onto his bed with the books. She opened the first one, a history book of Konoha. It looked like a long, slightly boring, read, so she settled back against his pillows.

After a few hours passed, Kakashi straightened out the papers and stretched. _I really shouldn't procrastinate with such things._ He turned around to see how far Ahri had gotten. She was leaning forward, her head buried in the large text. Kakashi smiled; he was proud that she was being serious about her studies. Then her kimono slipped a little off her left shoulder, and she did not moved to fix it. He walked over to her, sliding the book out of her weak grasp. Her head fell forward to her knees, sound asleep. Kakashi glanced at the page she was on. It was further than he would have gotten in one reading. He picked the three books up and placed them back on the shelf.

Turning back to the sleeping Ahri, he wondered what to do with her. It was the first time he ever personally trained a girl, and for all he knew they would need special consideration. If she was anything like Sakura, her mind was always set on her crushes, even if it was on training to make herself look better to them. If she was anything like her cousin Ino, she would constantly be fixating on her looks to ensure that boys would like her. If she was like Tsunade… he was in trouble.

"Gaara," Ahri mumbled in her sleep.

Kakashi grinned. _A crush on Gaara?_ It seemed almost impossible.

"Thank you Gaara."

_Or maybe not._

He grabbed some extra blankets and pillows and laid them out on the floor. Then he gently lifted Ahri and laid her out on her back on his bed, the kimono slipping a little further off the left shoulder and tightening on her neck on the right. He gingerly reached for a piece of the material from the right side of the kimono and nudged it away from the neck. Doing so, he discovered the black cord hanging around her neck with its panther pendant. He closed his eyes, remembering the day Rin had given the two necklaces to Kin for the baby; it was only a little while after Obito's death. Rin had said that with death comes life, and Obito's death had led to the successful birth of Ahri because both of them were special. He hoped Rin was right, otherwise Obito died in vain. Kakashi still could not forgive himself for being the cause of it.

He opened his eyes again, realizing that his fingers were hovering over the panther pendant. He pulled them away and returned to his makeshift bed for the night, reading his Icha Icha book for the millionth time.

Kakashi woke up early to find his breakfast made and Ahri gone. Panicked, he ran out of the apartment and searched the village from the top of his building. He finally spotted her sitting in a small field next to the hot stream with Kiba and Akamaru. With a sigh of relief he returned to his breakfast and morning preparation.

"I think I fell asleep studying last night."

Kiba laughed. "I would too." He reached up to her forehead protector and tapped it. "Wow, that's authentic."

She grinned. "It's authentic, but it belongs to _Hatake_ Ahri." She stretched out her leather clad legs. "I know it's necessary, but it does become a little infuriating."

He grabbed a nearby stick and tossed it for Akamaru to fetch. If he could not be with Neko Ahri, maybe he could be with Hatake Ahri. "So what is Hatake Ahri doing today?"

She shrugged her shoulders. Her work yesterday was temporary, filling in for a sick chef. Even though her dumplings were extraordinary and she received a lot in tips, the restaurant did not hire her. _Probably because I outshined the other cooks._ Or at least that's what she wanted to believe. "Hopefully training. Even if I do it by myself."

"What about Kakashi?"

She smiled. "He's probably eating himself to death and reading his stupid book."

"He's still one of the strongest Jonin there are."

Ahri rolled over in the grass, dodging Akamaru's pounce on her. "He may be strong, but he needs some skills in the teaching department."

Kiba leaned over her; _Akamaru, you did a beautiful job of causing her to move forward. _"Would Hatake Ahri like to go on a date with Kiba tonight? You might as well enjoy living a double life. No one knows you were with Kankuro, especially since you're going around without your hood."

Ahri grinned. "I think you're asking me to use my double identity to help me cheat."

"I'm just trying to give you credibility."

"I'll take you up on a date, but don't expect too much."

Kiba smiled. "If I bring my dolls along, would it help?"

She laughed. "They're not dolls, they're life-sized action figures!"

Both of them laughed.

"Hmm-hmm."

Ahri looked up to see Kakashi standing over them.

"I thought you had training to do."

"I thought you had a book to read."

Kakashi closed his eyes. _She is worse than Sakura or Ino. She does not care about pleasing other men, so she has a sarcastic tongue._ "Let's go." He walked toward one of the training fields, and she followed, leaving a somewhat satisfied Kiba behind.

When they reached the training field, Kakashi spun around, holding up one bell. Ahri eyed it questioningly.

"Here's the deal. You have one day to get this bell from me. If you can't get it in one day, then you have to keep studying those boring books and can't go on missions with me."

She sighed. At least she had her equipment with her. "Bring it on, old man."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "I'm only 27."

"You're nearly twice my age. Get over it."

He fastened the bell to him and lifted his forehead protector from his Sharingan. "Begin." As he said this, he disappeared.

There was no way she could find him with the senses she had as a human. She steadied her nerves (she was after all, fighting one of the most powerful Jonin that Konoha had) and whispered to herself "Shikyaku Henge no Jutsu1". She descended to all fours, her panther form taking over.

Kakashi watched, in partial amazement, from his hiding place as Ahri transformed into the panther. Rin had never been able to develop that ability, but Ahri was acting like she had been using it for a while.

Ahri scanned the trees around her, her senses sharper now. A stir in the bushes caused her to charge full speed, only to be hit by a kunai by the hiding Kakashi. Kakashi was amazed to see a log, instead of a panther, fall to the ground. "So she does plan ahead," he whispered to himself.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu2!"

Kakashi turned to see a large fireball flying at him. His shadow clone dissipated from the attack, while he quickly put a knife up to the flame thrower. Ahri grinned and popped out. _A shadow clone._ He was impressed; apparently she had learned much while sparring with Kankuro. He turned around quickly and punched the middle of thin air, and suddenly Ahri appeared and went flying down to the ground. "The invisibility jutsu3? Too bad it doesn't work against the Sharingan," he called down.

Ahri rose slowly from her hard fall. Fighting Kakashi was several levels higher than fighting Kankuro, especially since Kankuro refused to hurt her. She would have to become very serious in this fight. Kakashi leaned against the tree above her. If she were him that would be a shadow clone, which meant the real Kakashi had to be somewhere else. Focusing chakra into her nose, she acted like she was charging the clone then suddenly used her full speed when she located the real Kakashi by his scent. Her speed was fast enough to get one hit on him. "Kaze no Yaiba4!" A great blade of wind rose over Kakashi, who was surprised by the speed of the attack, but instead of hitting him, its precision allowed it to land neatly on the string holding the 

bell. The extra shadow clone she had hiding nearby jumped out and grabbed the bell while Kakashi dodged the rest of the Wind attack.

Kakashi landed on his butt under the tree they had been fighting in front of. Ahri's shadow clone handed the bell to her and dissipated, leaving a heavily panting Ahri standing in front of Kakashi.

"See, you are an old man." She smiled and walked over to him, dangling the bell in his face. He closed his eyes. Maybe having her around would help him train as well. She sat down and nudged his shoulder with her own. "Don't be upset. I'm undefeated in all my spars."

"I went easy on you."

She laughed. "Sure you did. Here." She tossed him the bell and looked up at the sky; it was already beginning to be dark. When she fought, time seemed to pass by so fast.

"Ahri, take a card and hold it; I want to see what chakra nature you have."

"What?"

He explained the chakra cards and the five different natures of chakra. "So hold it, and let's see what it is."

She grabbed a card and held it up in front of them. It ripped in half.

"Wind?" Kakashi said.

The two halves crumbled.

"Lightning… so you use two…"

One crumbled half lit on fire, the other turned to dust.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Four natures?" _How powerful is this girl?_

She smiled, waving the disintegrated papers away. "I have to go get ready for a date tonight."

"Oh?" he asked.

"It's something Kiba wanted to do for me. It's just food, but I don't want to arrive smelling like this. You know his powerful nose and all." She unzipped a little of her outfit and adjusted her kunai strap. "I need something that breathes better. Maybe that little green number that Gai wears."

"Have you seen how that fits on him and Lee? It's disgusting." He glanced at the kunai strap. "Where did you get that?"

"I've had it as long as I remember. It's really nice, sturdy, and Velcro holders for each kunai so they stay in place but easily come off when I need them." She waved at him and took off.

He stood up and watched her run back to the apartment.

Kiba walked Ahri to the upstairs walkway in front of Kakashi's apartment. "Thanks for coming, despite the hard training today," Kiba whispered.

"Thanks for the meal." She stopped in front of the doorway.

"Ahri… while we're alone, I just want to say… I never stopped thinking of you." He reached his hand up to her face, tracing her cheek with his finger. She leaned against the door, her face blushing. "And I know that you are trying to remember me again, but I can't help how I feel."

Kakashi looked up from his book, staring at the door. _Did they forget how narrow doors are?_

"Kiba… I… um…"

"I know you have strong feelings for Kankuro, but what if, you never met him? What if you never left?"

"That's a lot of 'what if's," Ahri whispered.

"I know. But for now, that's all I have."

Ahri smiled. "Let's just start with building our friendship up again." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

He returned a smile. "Okay."

Kakashi hurriedly looked back down at his book when Ahri rushed into the apartment, her back closing the door. "Was it that bad of a date, or that good?" he joked.

Her eyes narrowed on him as she walked forward, pretending like her entrance had been normal. "I don't know what you're talking about." She knelt down at her bag and ripped the ribbon out of her hair, tossing it in the bag. She also shrugged the kimono off.

Kakashi's eyes widened until he saw her PJ shirt and shorts were under the outfit. "It must have been that bad. Most girls don't wear their night gowns under their kimonos, at least not that kind of night clothing."

"Like you would know? Has this room really seen that many girls?" She stood and began stretching.

Kakashi watched as she bent over, touching her toes. "More than enough girls. Most find the mysterious man behind the mask intriguing."

"You let them see behind the mask?"

"When it's dark enough."

Ahri looked up and shook her head. "That's terrible of you."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Why the random stretching?"

"I don't want to be sore from today. I used my maximum speed against you and then sat in a restaurant and listened to a song I once sung. Then talked forever, while still sitting. It's not a good thing to do." She lifted her right leg straight up and stretched her arms up to it, then brought it down behind her neck.

_Kankuro, you're a lucky guy,_ Kakashi said to himself.

She repeated the stretch again with her left leg. Finally, she squatted, placing her arms in front of her. Before Kakashi knew it, she did a back flip onto his bed. "Haha! Your Sharingan didn't catch that!"

He looked up casually. "I wasn't using my Sharingan."

She crawled up the bed and pulled the forehead protector off of him. "Now you are! Do you keep it covered because that's the only way to activate it and deactivate it?"

The Icha Icha book was placed on the nightstand, and Kakashi turned to Ahri with a serious face.

Ahri smiled. "Stay still, I need to train." She crawled up the bed until she was straddling his lap. She dropped the forehead protector into his lap between them and raised her fingers to his temples. "Relax and trust me. I need to be able to do this without passing out. Better to pass out here with you than somewhere else. I also… need to be able to find what I want." Kakashi closed his eyes as her fingers touched his temples.

Ahri shut her eyes as images passed through her mind. His father, his father being disgraced by Konoha, why his mission failed, Kakashi's own mission with Rin and Obito, Obito's death, and finally his gift to Kakashi.

Ahri opened her eyes again and pulled her fingers away. Kakashi also opened his eyes. "Well?" he asked.

"I saw." She climbed off of him to lean back against the wall, pulling her legs up against her chest, staring at Kakashi. His cool gaze met hers. She knew there was no reason to talk about anything she saw. She could feel exactly what he had felt. The moment of silence passing between them began to gnaw at her stomach.

Kakashi looked over Ahri, staring at him from her small ball on the side of his bed. He had never let anyone know those feelings, not all the feelings to the exact degree, like Ahri just had felt. There was something special about her, something he was allowing to crawl under his skin and hit his heart. He would protect her with all his life, more than he could do for Sasuke. "Tomorrow, I want to teach you a new move that I know you can handle with that speed of yours."

Ahri glanced up from the broken silence. "What kind of new move?"

"A taijutsu move. It requires a lot of speed and force, and practice. You'll be so busy practicing it, that I'm sure you won't have any time for dates with Kiba."

She grinned. "Thank you."

Kakashi nodded his head and grabbed his book again.

"Which one is the first one?" she asked.

He picked up another of the books on the nightstand and held it up.

"Let's see what fascinates you about these books." She grabbed it and began reading it while lying on her stomach on his bed.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. The books didn't seem like they were Ahri's type, _but who am I to stop an inquisitive mind?_

The next morning, Kakashi awoke to find Ahri sitting as his desk, writing on some paper (that she had apparently bought the same morning, because he never owned that much paper at a time) with a large stack already written nearby. "Good morning," she announced.

Kakashi rolled out of bed and walked behind her to look at what she was writing. "Is this… a book?"

She grinned. "I think it's a book you'll enjoy."

"How much did you read last night?"

"All of them."

"So you can read all of those books in one night but not the history book?"

"Jiraiya is just a good writer I suppose." She finished the page and put it on the stack. "Alright, finished." She stood up, handing him the stack. "Don't get started on it now though, we have training to do." She walked to the door, already in her training outfit. "Come on, old pervert." Ahri left the apartment.

Kakashi glanced down at the stack of papers in his hand and smiled. The smile quickly faded as he began to wonder if Ahri read any of his thoughts as he slept, especially those thoughts about her as a character in his Icha Icha books. He sighed. _What kind of teacher am I turning into? _He put down the paper and quickly went through his morning preparations. Finally, he walked out the door to where Ahri was leaning against the rail waiting for him.

She was gazing intently on two figures walking together below. Kakashi turned to look at her targets and realized it was Asuma and Kurenai. "They're going to have beautiful children."

Kakashi smiled. "They are pretty obvious about it, despite how they try to hide it."

_Like Temari and Shikamaru._ She turned to Kakashi who refused to look her in the eyes. "Where are we going for this new training?"

"The same place." He walked off toward the training ground; Ahri strolled behind.

Kakashi stood under the heat of his shower. He had trained all day with Ahri until she had somewhat perfected the Front Lotus and Shadow of the Dancing Leaf. Actually, he had read under a tree while a few of his Shadow Clones made her step through the process.

His chakra had depleted by the end of the day. He was not expecting her to go through so many clones. He was not really expecting her to be decent with the move by the end of the day. Of course, he would not recommend her to use that move against an enemy in the shape it was end, but given time, she would have the move perfected.

The water ran along the scar over his right eye as he stared at the shower tiles. Maybe her latest name for him was correct: an old pervert. Reading so much of Jiraiya's work was turning him into the old perverted hermit. He closed his eyes. It was only perverted if it was lustful, and what he was feeling was nowhere near lustful. He turned the water off and grabbed the awaiting towel. He wrapped the towel around his waist and ran his fingers through his drying hair.

The sound of crying made him pause. _Is that Ahri? She should be asleep by now._ He quickly opened the bathroom door and walked out. Ahri was in a ball on her bed on the floor, tears streaming from her eyes. "Ahri?" Kakashi called, kneeling to her. "Ahri?" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly.

Her eyes opened and she stared intently at Kakashi's face. Finally she threw herself forward, burying her face into his still drying chest.

Without asking what happened, he sat on the floor and held her until she fell back asleep. He was curious to know if any of her memories were coming back, but simply fell asleep, still holding her tear stained face.

A movement made his eyes open. He was still sitting on the floor against his bed, Ahri cradled in his arms. He was still wrapped only in a towel. "Kakashi?" she whispered, her face still half covered by his chest. She pulled away abruptly.

Kakashi grabbed the damp towel to keep it in place and walked to the restroom quickly.

Ahri lay back down, her head throbbing from her dreams. _Or visions._ With her powers, she could not be sure.

Kakashi quickly changed into his usual clothes and walked back to Ahri. She held her head and was keeping her eyes tightly closed. "Ahri. Get up."

Surprised at his commanding tone, she quickly stood up.

"What were you dreaming about last night?"

"Orochimaru killed the clan because of me, didn't he? He had his people specifically attack the Neko clan because of me, right?"

"We're not sure."

Ahri closed her eyes. "I can feel it. I could feel their deaths last night, one by one."

Kakashi stared at her closed eyes. _How much empathic power does she have? It's far more than her mother._ "If you can feel the spirits of the dead and their pain, you may need to seal that power or become used to the pain."

"How do you become used to it?"

"Visit the dead. No one's had your powers before. If you can't survive where I'm taking you tonight, I'm sealing that power of yours. It caused you…" He shook his head and reached out to her shoulder. "Are you okay with that?"

She nodded her head.

"If I seal it, you can't read anymore memories; otherwise you might break the seal and have more pain."

Her eyes closed. There was one person who she wanted to read: Kankuro. If she was not able to get over the pain, she would never be able to read him. She wanted to know when he began to have feelings for her. "If I can't handle it… then you can seal it."

Kakashi smiled. "Then get ready; we're going for a walk." He grabbed her written book and walked out of the apartment to wait on her.

After another day of training the Frontal Lotus, Kakashi had Ahri pitch a tent in the middle of the large Konoha graveyard. Ahri was not thrilled; she knew her body would feel more pain than she could possibly bear this way. As the sun set, the olive green tent was pitched and two small sleeping bags were unrolled.

"At least you know how to set up camp."

She rolled her eyes at Kakashi. "In the desert, you have to always be prepared to set up camp and wait out sandstorms."

He sat on his sleeping bag, reading her book with his small flashlight.

"Is it any good?"

"I'm impressed." He glanced up at her. She sat in a meditative position on her bag, like she was preparing for whatever may come. Her years of training mostly on her own was helping him out significantly; she had determination and could create her own ways of dealing with a situation. In six months, she would be more than ready for the Chuunin exam.

The sky grew darker and Kakashi eventually put down the reading and flashlight in interest of what may happen. He casually lay down, watching Ahri meditate, hoping that she would be able to control this amazing power.

A sharp wind entered the tent, heading straight toward Ahri. Before Kakashi could react, Ahri's eyes quickly opened. "Kakashi."

He froze. That was not Ahri's voice. As he glanced more intently at her face, he noted the two dark facial marks of the Neko clan were on her face. "Rin?" Kakashi whispered.

Rin, using Ahri's body, crawled closer to Kakashi, placing a hand on his covered face. "Kakashi, take care of Ahri. She's all my family has left. Tell her, she has the eye. She needs to find it in her."

"Rin… I'm so sorry…"

Rin pulled his mask down and kissed him. With the kiss, Ahri pulled her head back and gasped. The appearance of Rin left, and a new one entered Ahri's body, but only for a moment. It was Obito.

"Obito!" Kakashi called out, his hand reaching to Ahri.

Ahri fell forward, Kakashi catching her. Her body began to shake as wind continued to circle her. Kakashi refused to let go of her; Rin had ordered him to protect this girl. She let out a scream, causing Kakashi to close his eyes. If he took her away, it might hurt her severely by breaking the chakra channels between her and the spirits. All he could do was hold her.

The next morning, Ahri woke up to Kakashi packing up their small camp. Her body felt disjointed, and her mind was dizzy. "Sensei?" she whispered.

He turned to her with a smile. "You survived."

"Did I?" She stood up, wobbly from whatever the night did to her. "I don't remember anything."

Kakashi bent down to his pack. If the spirits were able to constantly invade her mind that night, the power was too much for her to handle. He had to seal it. "Roll up your bag, and follow me."

She did as she was told, following Kakashi to a large, dark, empty room. On the floor, Kakashi began writing symbols on the ground. "So, we're sealing it?" she asked. "But I don't even remember…"

"I saw everything Ahri. This power is hazardous. You were being possessed all night long." He continued writing the symbols on the floor.

"Possessed?" Ahri hugged her legs to her chest. _How can that be a convenient power?_ She watched Kakashi as he carefully wrote all the symbols in a large circle pattern, with eight lines coming from the center.

"Come here."

Ahri walked to the center of the circle where Kakashi stood. Her eyes were wide with terror and confusion.

Kakashi closed his eyes. Perhaps he should have gotten Tsunade or Kurenai to do this, but she was his student. It was his duty. "Sit down and… take your top off." He added the last part unhappily.

She kneeled down in the circle and gingerly unzipped the top of her outfit and pulled it down to her waist. He kneeled down next to her and began writing more symbols on her arms, connecting them to the symbols on the floor.

"I, uh… this too." He tapped her bra. He had done as much as he could with it on.

Ahri closed her eyes and took her bra off, tucking it between her legs. Kakashi finished writing the symbols, and then secured her wrists in place. With his hand placed upon her back, he spoke the words to form the seal. Ahri lunged forward in pain, but the straps and Kakashi's hands kept her in place as the symbols began to climb up her body toward his hands. When the sealing was finished, Ahri closed her eyes, panting heavily.

Kakashi stared at the seal on her back. "This seal is not as permanent as the one on your memories. It depends on your willpower of not wanting to use your empathic touch." He took the straps off of her wrists and rubbed them. She had pulled tremendously against them. "Are you okay?" he finally whispered.

Her face was red.

_Is she embarrassed? _He turned away from Ahri. "Tell me when you're ready to go."

Ahri glanced over her shoulder, noticing Kakashi was turned away from her. He understood her need for privacy after all. With shaking hands, she pulled her bra back on and zipped up her black suit. "I'm ready." She stood and turned to face Kakashi. He still kept his back to her and grabbed their two bags.

"Let's go," he said, carrying both of the bags.

Ahri followed him, hoping to leave what happened in that room. "You know Sensei, tomorrow's my birthday. I'll be fifteen."

"I guess I won't be close to twice your age then."

"You're still old."

Kakashi turned to her with a smile. "You know how to flatter a person."

"What's on the agenda for today?"

"I think you should focus on the Cat's Eye." He was hoping she would be able to unlock it. Some of its abilities mirrored the Sharingan, and with that ability he could teach her moves 

that required speed vision, like the Chidori. "Take these packs home, and meditate." He handed her the packs. "I have some duties around town."

Ahri sat on Kakashi's bed, meditating. She had reached a state where she could feel the chakra flowing through her; she could even feel her chakra points. Despite this, her eyes still did not feel more powerful; meditation did nothing for her Cat's Eye.

The door opened, breaking her meditation. Kakashi was standing there with a smile and his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a young woman from the village. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she saw Ahri.

Kakashi laughed. "This is my student."

"Oh, you have students?" the bimbo cooed.

Ahri rolled her eyes. "Bye Sensei." She walked past the two in a huff.

Kakashi grinned at her and closed the door behind his lady friend.

Ahri rushed down to find some food; she decided on Ichiraku Ramen. She was not alone. Shikamaru and his team were already there eating, including Ino. Ahri quietly sat furthest away from them, ordering the smallest portion Teuchi had to offer. She glanced at Shikamaru who quietly sat nearest her, staring at his bowl. She wondered if he missed Temari as much as she missed Kankuro.

Ayame put the bowl in front of Ahri. "Adigato." She slowly ate the ramen, hoping if she took long enough, Kakashi would finish with that bimbo. _Is this how he always is, or is he just showing me that he can get a girl just as easily as reading his porn? And that girl… Kakashi can get better than her._ Ahri sipped the last of her ramen. Maybe she should have returned home with Kankuro. It felt lonely in Konoha.

"Hey."

She looked up; Shikamaru and his rotund friend were standing next to her. Ino was already gone.

"Want to come with us?" Shikamaru asked.

"Where are you off to?"

"Night cloud watching."

"And snacking," his friend added.

She smiled. "Sure." She quickly paid Ayame and followed the two up to the top of a nearby building.

"By the way, this is Akimichi Chouji, and I'm Nara Shikamaru."

_Oh, that's right. Shikamaru does not know that I am the same as Kankuro's bodyguard._ "I'm Hatake Ahri."

"Hatake?" asked Chouji, with a silent "hmmm" added on.

"Are you related to Kakashi?" asked Shikamaru.

"In a way."

"I didn't think he had any family."

"We're long lost cousins." Maybe she should have asked Kakashi how they were supposed to be related. Cousins sounded good to her.

They reached the top of the building and sat on a bench there. Shikamaru leaned back, staring at the clouds; Chouji began munching on a bag of potato chips he had with him. Instead of breaking the silence, Ahri leaned back and watched the night sky. Clouds did have a way of looking extra beautiful at night.

Shikamaru smiled. It was impressive to find a girl that did not try to talk all the time; of course, she was related to Kakashi who seemed to be pretty quiet also.

"Would you like some?" Chouji offered another bag to her. It was the same cookies that she had stolen from Kankuro's stash on the day of their first kiss.

Ahri smiled. "Thank you." She took the cookies and opened the bag. Her eyes filled with small tears, but she quickly wiped them away and grabbed a cookie. She reached the bottom of the bag with only two cookies left. She handed the bag out to Shikamaru and Chouji. "It's the last bites. You two deserve it."

Shikamaru took the bag with a wondering smile. _Has she met Chouji before?_

Ahri stood to leave. "I should head home. Thanks again."

She ran down the stairs toward the apartment. Even passing time with ramen, Shikamaru, and Chouji had not been enough. She could hear the girl in there still. _Is the mask off? Is he letting a bimbo like that see his face? Why am I caring?_

Ahri ran toward Kiba's house, tossing a few rocks at his window. The light came on and Kiba's face appeared in the window. Upon seeing Ahri, he grinned and disappeared for a second. He soon reappeared, fully dressed, and jumping out the window to a nearby tree to the ground. He raced over to Ahri. "What's up?"

"Do you know what time it is?" Ahri asked as she walked away.

Kiba followed, looking at his watch. "A little after midnight."

Ahri sighed. _Happy birthday._ "Want to go for a walk?"

"Sure."

The two walked in silence toward her former house. The streets were even darker at this time of night, and the air felt stale. Despite this, Ahri and Kiba entered the old house. She walked past the main room to the private courtyard and pond that sat in the back of the house. It was the only part of the house that smelled dust-free. The moon and dark blue clouds reflected brilliantly in the pond's clear water.

Ahri sat calmly on the small pier that jutted over the pond; Kiba joined her. He was wondering what this was about. She closed her eyes and reached her hand over to Kiba's and wrapped her fingers around his hand. His eyes widened as her lips pressed against his. He wondered what had caused her change of heart, but decided to question that later.

He rolled her on her back, biting at her neck, pulling on her free-flowing hair, twisting her neck in different angles. His free hand pulled down her jumpsuit zipper as far as it would go in one quick swoop. Ahri grabbed his shirt and pulled it off, throwing it to the side. She had guessed one correct thing about Kiba: everything he did was a little on the beast side.

Ahri again walked to Kakashi's apartment, the morning sun slowly beginning to rise. Her body, now that it was away from Kiba, was starting to feel sore. Never before had she spent that long meeting her carnal needs; anytime she was with Kankuro it was different. They had been taking things slowly, treasuring every touch. With Kiba, there was no treasuring. She just wanted to feel the pain. Now she could. Every scratch on her back, every bite on her neck (and elsewhere) was screaming with pain.

She leaned her ear against the door for any sounds coming from Kakashi's apartment. She heard none, but still feared entering. She simply did not want to face Kakashi. His had been a face she had seen during her night with Kiba. Of course, Kiba was not bad to look at, and she did. But her mind had seen Kakashi's face too, and not Kankuro's. _Seeing Kakashi now…_ her 

face blushed at the thought. _Why am I feeling so bad lately? Konoha really is bringing me down a different road._

"You can come in."

She was startled by Kakashi's voice from the other side of the door. _How long has he noticed me standing here?_ She opened the door and saw him standing over his small counter, already in his jumpsuit and vest.

He grinned. "Thanks for allowing me time last night."

She grunted a response and knelt in front of her bag. Somewhere in here was some salve. Her back was calling for that salve. Her hand fumbled onto the small canister, and she quickly took it out. Unzipping the top half of her jumpsuit, back turned to Kakashi, she felt around for one of the cuts with her pinky. When she found the first one, her other fingers with the salve quickly covered it. Her eyes were shut in pain.

Kakashi turned to what she was doing and gasped at the sight. Her whole back was covered in claw marks. "Ahri?" he asked.

She ignored him.

He sighed; this was probably his fault. He should not have brought someone over last night, but after the sealing process, he needed a release. He could only wonder what trouble, and with what beast, she had gotten herself in while he was releasing his own frustrations on a girl… _what was her name?_

Ahri fumbled over her back, the salve being applied haphazardly all over. She knew it was a mess. Her legs began to burn from their cuts. Maybe she and Kiba had gone a little too far.

"Ahri, lie on the bed and let me do that for you."

She grimaced, not wanting his hands to touch her. She did not have a choice. Kakashi had knelt behind her and had grabbed the salve out of her hand. Without asking what had happened, he began applying the salve to the cuts on her back, shoulders, and upper arms.

"Now will you go lie on the bed?"

She reached her hand out to her pack and grabbed her ribbon, quickly tying her hair up in a bun so it wouldn't interfere with the salve on her back. Doing so showed Kakashi the bite marks (not hickies) on her neck. He quickly put a hand up on her neck, looking at the marks. It looked like she had been attacked by a pack of wolves. He applied the salve to her neck and forced her to stand to go to the bed.

This revealed the marks on the front of her body. He finally had to ask. "What happened?"

She silently grabbed the salve out of his hands and began applying it to her upper chest and stomach. With the bra on, he could not see the bite marks _there_.

Kakashi glanced over her suit and noticed that it was intact. All her clothing was intact. His eyes opened wider with recognition. _Kiba?_ In a way, the thought made his stomach churn. "Change out of that. I'm going to go get more salve."

He stood and walked out of the apartment. Ahri changed into her PJ shirt and shorts, and then noticed what Kakashi had been working on at his counter. It was a jumbo cupcake with a candle on it. Next to that was a little bundle tied in ribbon_. He planned something for my birthday?_

He quickly returned with more salve and began applying to her legs as she leaned back on the bed, her hands covering her eyes. "If you wanted to know what pain felt like," Kakashi finally stated as he reached the upper legs, "you didn't need to go seek out Kiba."

_How did he know?_

"It was Kiba, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well I hope you left a few marks on him too."

She grinned. Kiba wasn't the only one whose fingernails turned into claws.

Kakashi finished and walked to the counter sink to wash his hands. "At least this will train you for handling pain. If you could handle that many cuts from one night, you can handle a kunai here and there."

Ahri sat up. "That was my whole goal."

He smiled. "By the way, I hear it's your birthday." He handed her the cupcake and wrapped package. "I made the cupcake myself, so you've been warned."

She smiled as he lit the candle. "No singing?"

"I don't sing."

Her eyes closed as she thought of a birthday wish. _I wish I was… I want to say I wish that I could just focus on my training, but I really wish I was older than fifteen. Well, I wish that I never came here, and stayed happily ever after with Kankuro, but since I'm here anyway. I just… I want __**him**__. Is that so wrong? _She opened her eyes and blew out the candle.

Before he allowed her to eat the cupcake, he pressed the package into her hands. "Since you complain so much."

She opened the package and pulled out an outfit that somewhat resembled her own, but in a breathable material. There were long gloves, and boots, and the top even pulled up as a mask like Kakashi's. She grinned. "Thank you."

Kakashi smiled. "I had it made; it's basically a cross between your current outfit and our ANBU uniforms."

Ahri put the clothes down next to her; leather had been fine in the desert where it was dry, but in Konoha, it had become unbearable. Finally she could train and show her normal amount of stamina. She went to hug Kakashi, but remembered the salve all over her arms. She did not want to get it on Kakashi, so instead kissed his masked cheek.

He looked at her in surprise and then grinned. "Happy birthday Ahri."

"Adigato, Kakashi."

A week had past since Ahri's birthday. Everyday was spent on training, and every night the two would find ways to amuse themselves. One of these included going to the hot springs, Ahri getting girls to talk about intimate details while Kakashi sat on the other side listening. Kakashi was simply impressed with the way Ahri was able to draw these stories out of people; it must be her training at an inn.

The two returned to the apartment after another day of training, but this day had been genjutsu training. It was not a field that Kakashi delved into much, but he recognized his own need to train. His days spent with Ahri had not been for her benefit alone. His own chakra felt drained after the day's work, and he easily fell down on his bed, exhausted.

Ahri laughed. "And I thought you were one of Konoha's strongest Jonin? Maybe I should train under Gai…"

Kakashi closed his eyes. _Gai. What a pest._

Ahri knelt down next to her pack and took off her boots. Her panther pendant hung over the top of the pack. Her new outfit from Kakashi did not allow the pendant under the material without choking her, so she stopped wearing it. _And the emotions I'm feeling lately… _"Sorry 

Kankuro," she whispered, slipping off her last boot. She placed them neatly next to her pack then jumped on Kakashi's bed, causing him to open his eyes. "You can't be tired! I thought a Jonin had tons of stamina!" She fell on all fours, her face hovering over his. "What if we were on a mission?"

Kakashi closed his eyes. The recent lack of missions for himself was getting under his skin. He wondered if Tsunade was giving his missions to other Jonin so he could protect Ahri. "You don't want to see me on a mission."

"Oh really? Do you get crazy eyed or something?" She made a 'crazy eyed' face.

He smiled. "With all of that energy, what do you plan on doing?"

"Well… Shikamaru and Chouji are probably on their usual rooftop, but I'm too hyper for Shikamaru so I'll stay away. Kiba… well, I could visit Kiba. He'd drain my energy."

"I don't feel like fixing any wounds you get from Kiba."

Ahri fell on her back next to Kakashi. "I don't know then. If I use my fastest speed, I could make it to Sunagakure within a day or two… of course I don't know if I can maintain that speed for a whole day. But it would be fun to throw eggs at Kankuro again."

"Throw eggs?"

"That's how I first met him. Funny story, but you had to be there." She sighed and pulled the mask down off her face. "Maybe tomorrow, we'll be assigned a mission."

Kakashi turned to face her. The lack of missions was driving her crazy too. "Maybe you should have wished for a mission on your birthday."

Ahri turned to face him. "I wished for something much better."

"Oh?"

"You know I can't tell you what it is; it won't come true." She smiled; in a way it already had. "You know… I could go down to Ichiraku Ramen. There's a guy who eats there a lot… Iruka? He's kind of cute." She sat up and grabbed her pack; it had gotten thicker in the past week, having finally found a day to shop for herself. She pulled out a new black kimono and a lacy nightgown that went under it.

Kakashi sat up from the sight. "When did you get that?"

She grinned. "While you were being challenged by Gai. I snuck in a store and got something a little cute." She carried the clothes into the bathroom.

He was not allowing her to go out with Iruka. Not wearing that. He threw off his training clothes and pulled on a pair of pajama pants.

Ahri walked out of the bathroom in her new outfit to find Kakashi standing in front of his apartment door. Her eyes closed at the sight; mentor or not, Kakashi had a beautiful body – and face. "Excuse me?"

"You're not going out with Iruka."

"Why not? He's a teacher… pretty young, pretty cute."

"You're only fifteen."

She shook her head. "No I'm not."

"What?"

She smiled. "Did I forget to mention? I had a great conversation with Shizune the other day. We thought it best to change my date of birth too. As of right now, I turned eighteen… two days ago." She smiled. "Shizune said I was mature enough to pull it off." She walked forward and grabbed the door handle next to Kakashi.

"Just because your ID says your eighteen doesn't mean you can act like it." He grabbed her arm and pulled it away from the door handle.

"I've been acting like I'm eighteen for a long time. And if you want to make my new identity believable, then I'm going to act like it." She broke through his grasp and grabbed the door handle again.

Kakashi lunged at Ahri; before she could react, he was holding her over his shoulder.

"Let me down!"

He calmly walked the kicking and punching girl over to his bed and threw her down on it. She landed roughly, the kimono opening to the nightgown underneath. "If you want people to believe you're mature, act like it." Kakashi walked back to the door and locked it. He normally never locked his door, but tonight was different. Ahri began doing things that a girl normally starts doing at eighteen, not fifteen. He wondered if she really was related to the sweet natured Rin, or if she was becoming more like Ino. He turned back to Ahri. "When you came to Konoha, you were seeking answers. You were seeking training so you could become a strong ninja. Ever since that night with Kiba, you've stopped caring about that. If having hollowed relationships is all you care about anymore, let me know. We'll stop this charade of mentor-student right now."

Ahri leaned against his wall, wrapping herself in the kimono. _Why can't he understand that being a female ninja is 1000 times harder than being a male ninja?_ "I don't want to be your student."

He glared at her. _She's taking that choice?_

"I want to be your partner. On the same level. Equals."

"Equals?"

"You've been training just as hard as I have. You have to admit I've been more of a challenge for you than those three." She pointed to his picture of Team 7. "Treat me as an equal. Forget about the small child you remember from long ago; picture me as I am now. A strong equal."

Kakashi closed his eyes. She was asking him to do what he had wanted to do. Seeing her as an equal made him feel less guilty about his emotions toward her. He nodded his head.

Ahri smiled and leaned her head against the wall in relief. It was a breakthrough. _Maybe, birthday wishes really do come true._

He walked to his bed and sat on the side of it, calming his stomach down. "Do you really like Iruka?"

"Not really." She scooted next to Kakashi and smiled. "He's… too young. Something about him is just young."

"And Kiba is old?"

She laughed. "Kiba is… fierce."

Kakashi closed his eyes. He shouldn't have asked. _But_… "How so?"

Ahri turned to Kakashi. "Seriously?"

He looked at her with a grin. "Equals."

"Well… it's hard to explain exactly how fierce. Normal people are fierce in their own way. But Kiba is like me. He has… beast-like qualities." She raised her hand for Kakashi to see. "Those of us with beast-like qualities hold back from those who don't. But when two are together…" Her fingernails turned into claws. Kakashi's eyes widened; apparently Kiba was sent home with his own cuts that night. "It's a different approach to things. Sometimes, it seems like only that kind of relationship satisfies me."

"Then it looks like Kiba is the right guy for you."

Ahri brought her hand back. "Well…" she couldn't quite tell him that even though it was Kiba's body, in her mind it had been Kakashi's face, "… not really."

Kakashi glanced down at her dangerous hands. "Not really?" He picked up her hand and examined it. _How is she able to do it so casually?_

She blushed at her hand being examined. "Not at all." Her hand flinched in Kakashi's grasp, protruding the claws out at him. He touched their tip, and then lightly grazed them over the surface of his arm. _Why is he torturing me like this?_

"I wonder what it's like to have a carnal creature inside of you. It would make an excellent character."

She rolled her eyes. _Those books; he always has his mind on those books._ She had lied earlier; Jiraiya wasn't that great of a writer. "A book couldn't describe it well enough." She brought her hand away from Kakashi and used it to take off her kimono, placing it in her bag.

Kakashi eyed the low cut back of the nightgown. _If she had not intended on wearing it for Iruka, who was it for? _ He had to use his reasoning like he did on a mission. _Iruka was a no… Kiba? Why bother if all they did was cut each other to shreds. There is no way she would spend money on something that would just be torn off. Is there someone else she is seeing? She knew Shikamaru and Chouji. It isn't Chouji. Shikamaru has an unspoken relationship with her friend Temari. Neither of those two. Was it…_

_The night I brought home a girl was the night she went out to Kiba._

_She purposely mentioned Iruka, an older person, to me and put this outfit on. _

_She purposely made sure I thought of her as older, an equal._

_She is very good._

_But even if there is a slight chance I am wrong… I can't take the risk._

Ahri stood up and turned to Kakashi, noticing he was lazily staring at her. Her mind began to whirl in circles. _Why did he change out of his training clothes in order to stand in my way tonight? Going from what he was wearing to what he is wearing now was a large jump. An unnecessary jump if all he wanted to do was block me from leaving. Then there was that morning I woke up in his arms while he had on only a bath towel. Of course, that was because of my late night screaming… but he hurriedly sped away that morning._ "Looking at your handiwork?" she asked.

"Huh?" His eyes quickly looked up to hers.

"You were staring at my back." She walked up to him and twirled around, pointing to the seal on her upper back. "So you like looking at your work?"

Kakashi reached his hand up and touched the seal. "It is a good looking seal," he replied with a grin.

She halfway turned her head and grinned. "The nightgown really brings out its color."

Before she could laugh at her own pathetic joke, Kakashi grabbed the back of her neck and brought down on the bed, his face hovering hers. "Why?" he asked.

She struggled slightly against his grasp. "Why what?"

"Why are you doing this to me tonight?"

Her eyes closed. _I've taken it one step too far. I should have just gone to bed instead of bringing up Iruka._

"Ahri…" He closed his eyes. His own world had become like the books he read. With his free hand, he grabbed her waist and brought her up to meet his lips.

She opened her eyes as Kakashi lifted her up. His lips were partially open and leaning down toward hers. She closed her eyes again as their lips met. Her arms wrapped around his 

neck as he leaned backwards, kissing her down her neck. _Birthday wishes do come true, even if they seem impossible. _

His hand fell from her neck to her back as she tilted her head to bite his neck. _More like nibble my neck. She's afraid of hurting me._ "Ahri," he whispered.

She lifted her head with a 'what' expression.

"Don't hold back. I want to feel it."

She closed her eyes and lunged at his neck, biting the trigger spot. His fingers turned white as he buried them against her skin, lifting his back in an arch. The pain from the bite was covered by a need for more. It had to be what she was talking about; how only Kiba could physically satisfy her like that. If he couldn't do that for her, he would have to find another way to satisfy her. There was no way he was going to lose to Kiba, a kid. He pulled her closer and flipped her on her back. She let her head fall onto the pillow, her eyes visibly like a cat's now.

Kakashi grabbed the night gown and pulled it up over her head, throwing it on the floor. His hand flew back to her chest, running his fingers down her cleavage. In her usual clothing, they always seemed to be nearly flat, but now he realized it was the bra she had been wearing. It would hold them back to allow her to fight without anything in the way. Before him, they were round and perky. Like the day he sealed her power. But unlike the day he sealed her power, they now had small scars on them. It was probably from her night with Kiba; she just never placed salve on it. He grasped her left breast in his hand and began massaging it, leaning down to bite at the right one. At his touch, Ahri's nails ran across his back, slowly becoming claws along their path. He tugged on the nipple some, making her claws bite into his skin.

Kakashi grinned as he went back to biting her neck. He could give it to her rough. His teeth sunk into her neck's soft skin as his right hand hurriedly pulled her thong off.

_I want you to make me bleed._

He pulled off his pants and brought his teeth lower and lower.

_How much pain can you handle before you make me bleed?_

Obviously, she was able to absorb a lot of pain. He pounced back up and began pulling her hair as he slammed into her as hard as he could. Her claws dug in deeper the faster and harder he went.

_Harder Ahri, harder_.

The next morning, Kakashi opened his eyes to find Ahri sleeping in his arms on his bed. His eyes closed. _It was stupid to have done that. I should have been stronger and kept my emotions bottled in. No one can find out._ His neighbors would never know; Ahri never made a noise. She focused her energy into her claws. Kakashi noticed the sheet was sticking to his back; he lifted his arm from around Ahri to feel what it was. His cuts had bled while he slept and then dried with the sheets against him. Peeling the sheet off caused some of the scabs to fall off and bleed some more.

Ahri turned around in her sleep, pushing her head against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist again, smelling her hair that was in his face_. It smells like milk and honey._ He kissed the top of her head. The sun was rising; they had training to do. If the sun would stop rising, he could stay in bed with her forever. He grinned and lazily closed his eyes. He never felt like that before.

A knock on his door made his eyes pop open. "Kakashi-sensei!" It was Sakura.

"Crap," Kakashi whispered. He tumbled out of bed and grabbed his pants, slipping them on quickly.

Ahri stirred awake to find Kakashi quickly pulling a shirt with mask on over his head. "Kaka-sensei!" came the voice again.

"Who is it?" Ahri asked.

"Sakura."

"Oh." She grabbed her clothes and hopped into the shower.

Kakashi opened the door to an angry Sakura. "Yes?" he asked with an innocent grin on his face.

Sakura looked like she could set him ablaze. "Are you still asleep at this time of day?"

His grin widened. "I stayed up all night reading. Did you need something Sakura?"

"Tsunade sent for you and your, team? And I wondered, what team is she talking about?"

Kakashi stopped grinning as he saw Sakura's hurt face. "Sakura… while you're training under Tsunade and Naruto trains under Jiraiya… I have a new partner."

"Who? And what about Sasuke?"

He closed the door behind him and walked with Sakura to the railing in front of his door. "Sakura, I haven't given up on Sasuke. But all we can do is look for information. Everything can't be stopped because of him."

"You said never leave a teammate behind."

"I'm not leaving him behind. We will find Sasuke. But I don't want you to give up on your own life because Sasuke is missing. Do you understand?"

She nodded her head and walked away. Kakashi hurried back into his apartment. Ahri was standing in the middle of his room toweling off. He grinned as he quickly closed the door behind him.

"Tsunade wants to see us. I think we have a mission."

She smiled. "And you wanted me to waste my birthday wish on that."

Kakashi walked up to her, lifting her chin with his finger. "Can you tell me what you wasted it on?"

She gave him a toothy grin. "You."

"What a waste." He bent down and kissed her.

Kakashi and Ahri stood before Tsunade. Kakashi lazily had his hands in his pockets, his uncovered eye only half open; Ahri had her arms crossed in front of her chest, leaning slightly back with her right leg jutted a little further out. Tsunade sat staring at the two. She gave Kakashi as much time as possible to train Ahri, and it looked like he had trained her well. There was a new coldness in her eyes, and… _Why is she wearing an ANBU uniform?_ Tsunade screamed in her mind. _Oh well._ It was probably something Kakashi did.

Shizune handed Tsunade the paper about Kakashi and Ahri's mission. Tsunade glanced over it. "The head priest in the Land of Stone has sent us a notice concerning a group of missing-nin led by Hotaru, previously of the Seven Swords. The others in this band are all in the Bingo book Kakashi. They may know of Orochimaru or Akatsuki. Keep that in mind." She handed the paper to Kakashi who looked it over.

"They're threatening to get a scroll from the priest," Kakashi read aloud.

"It's an important scroll concerning the tailed demons. The priest wants you to arrive and bring the scroll back to Konoha. Any nin you remove is a bonus."

Kakashi folded the paper and placed it in his vest pocket. He calmly turned around and walked away, Ahri following him.

"Land of Stone is a long walk." Kakashi grabbed a pack and threw some things in it. Ahri emptied her pack to put only the essentials in. "We should hurry there as fast as possible before Hotaru gets his hands on the scroll. He may be working for Akatsuki." He shouldered his pack and put a hand on Ahri's shoulder. "If things begin to look bad, use your invisibility jutsu. When it comes down to it, you're more important than the scroll, or me."

"If something happens to you, I might as well die." She took three small bottles and tucked them into her pack. "So you better not die either."

Ahri knelt down behind a large rock, eyeing the approaching ninja. Kakashi stood behind a rock across from her, the large scroll secured behind his back. One of the ninja was Hotaru, his long blade readied in his hand. The other ninja was unnamed. His face was covered in a mask except for his right eye. Kakashi closed his eyes. Those two together would force him and Ahri in a one-on-one fight. Hotaru would probably be too much for her, but he did not even know the other ninja. He might be even more powerful. There seemed to be no way out of the fight either. His best hope was that Ahri could take on Hotaru; despite his use of water elements.

Ahri brought her hands up to her face. "Meisaigakure no Jutsu5." She wavered into invisibility, though Kakashi was able to spot her with his Sharingan. She quickly climbed up the rock, tossing several smokescreen bombs onto the enemy, then jumping behind Hotaru, using her sense of smell to detect him, much like Kiba did.

"And I thought she was more responsible than Naruto." Kakashi said to himself. But then he looked up the rock and saw her image still standing there. She had sent a shadow clone.

Her shadow clone performed the Front Lotus and Shadow of the Dancing Leaf on the unsuspecting Hotaru. Hotaru crashed to the ground, causing the replication to disperse. As the smoke cleared, Hotaru was crawling up from the ground, the unknown ninja staring at him. "There was only one," the ninja said. "You get the scroll and bring it to the base. I'm going ahead to Zetsu." He flickered away.

Kakashi gave a sigh of relief. _Still, Hotaru must be pretty strong to survive the front lotus._ The other ninja still seemed to be in an apprentice stage and had not thought things through all the way. He stepped out to fight Hotaru. As he did, a shiver went down his spine. He turned just in time to see another Hotaru throwing a kunai at him. It stopped midair before it reached him, but suddenly blood oozed from the air and Ahri's panting body appeared, holding the kunai's handle, despite it being embedded in her stomach. "Ahri!" he yelled.

She grinned, her mind racing back to Haku and Zabuza. _I understand now Haku; Kakashi is my Zabuza_. "It's okay. Let's just finish him off." The clone dispersed, and Ahri turned to face the real Hotaru with Kakashi.

"I can handle him…" Kakashi whispered. "Go hide somewhere safe."

Hotaru laughed, and Kakashi turned to him, his Sharingan at the ready. "Suiton: Bakusui Shoha6!" Water splurged from Hotaru's mouth, covering the entire area in an ocean of water. Ahri and Kakashi both jumped to the top of the large rock she had been hiding behind. Ahri used that time to pull the kunai out of her wound, noticing the color of the tip. It had been poison, just like the daggers Kankuro used. Hotaru had to be finished fast so she could rest and take the little antidote she carried. "Suiton: Hahonryu7!" Hotaru shot his hands out at the two.

"Doton: Doryu Joheki8!" Ahri threw her hands on the rock they stood on and it lifted high into the air, avoiding the attack from Hotaru. She coughed, spitting up blood. That move caused her to reach her limit. Kakashi glanced down at her, worried.

"Stay here." He jumped down the rock to face Hotaru one-on-one. As Hotaru performed the hand symbols Kakashi started doing them faster.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu9!" they both yelled. Two spiraling blasts of water went crashing at each other, negating the technique.

Ahri glanced up at the two fighting on the water's surface, her vision beginning to blur. She needed to reach her pack. Her hand reached to take it off, but it was hard to move. The poison was working faster than she thought it would. Her fingers grasped the edge of the strap when a large light flashing caused her to turn to the two fighting. Kakashi stood over Hotaru, his hand still glowing with… _lightning?_ She closed her eyes. _It can't be lightning. How can you hold lightning?_

"Ahri?"

She opened her eyes. Kakashi was holding her in his arms; there was no water to be seen.

"Ahri? Can you hear me?"

"Poison… antidote… pack." She managed to get out.

Kakashi grabbed the pack from her back and rummaged through it. Three little bottles were folded in a cloth. "Which one?" he asked, holding the three up to her.

Her half closed eyes looked them over; she was barely able to point to the dark purple liquid of the middle container.

He quickly popped open the middle container and poured it down her throat, rubbing her throat to help her swallow. Tucking the bottles back into her pack, he picked Ahri up and began racing back to Konoha.

Ahri opened her eyes to find a sterile-white ceiling above her. She turned her head to the right and saw an open window with a shining sun. A small table held a flower, a daffodil. "It's good to see you awake."

She turned her head to the left and saw Sakura and Ino, dressed like medic-nin. "Where's Kakashi?"

Sakura smiled. "He had to go see Lady Tsunade. He'll be back when he's finished." She continued smiling.

_Why are they smiling so much?_ "Is there… something I don't know?"

"I never knew Kakashi had a relative," Sakura answered. "It's really neat to know one exists."

"And saved his life," Ino added.

Ahri turned away. For a little time she had been able to forget that her identity also included her as a cousin of Kakashi. "It's really nothing."

"Hey Sakura, Ino." That was Kiba's voice.

"Hey Kiba!"

Ahri turned to face Kiba. "Hi Kiba." She glanced at Sakura and Ino. "I… need to talk to him alone."

"Oh, oh, okay." The two left the room.

Kiba bent over Ahri, stroking her face. She had yet to speak to him since their one night. "Kiba, I can't see you anymore."

"What?"

"I meant to tell you when I found out. But a new part of my identity is my age. Tsunade thought it would be best to change my date of birth for my ID as well. I'm supposed to be eighteen now Kiba."

"That doesn't change…"

"Kiba, how believable would it be for an eighteen year old girl to be with a younger guy?" She closed her eyes. "I have to do this, for myself and for all of us. I don't want what happened to my clan to happen to the rest of Konoha."

He sighed. "Well… until this is over, I can be happy with that night."

She smiled at him. "It was pretty incredible."

He bent down and kissed her forehead.

Someone clearing their throat came in.

Kiba glanced behind him. "Uh… Kakashi-sensei…" He grabbed the edge of the bed, leaning back against it. "I heard Ahri was in the hospital."

Kakashi's lazy stare looked him over. _The kid does have strong feelings for her_. "I need to take her home."

"Oh right." Kiba spun back to Ahri. "Bye Ahri. Come visit when you can." He grinned and left the room.

Ahri let her breath out and closed her eyes.

"You should really stop leading him on."

"I'm not even trying to."

Kakashi leaned against the bed, looking down at Ahri. "What you did was stupid."

"My own speed is faster than throwing a kunai or shuriken to stop the knife. It was a smart idea. I just didn't go as fast as I could, and caught the kunai too late."

Kakashi folded his arms. "Or you could let it hit me."

"Then we'd both be dead. We both know you were the only match for him. I'm just glad I fooled the younger one."

"At first I thought you were doing something very stupid. I've gotten so used to Naruto."

Ahri sat up, touching her bandaged stomach under the hospital gown. "Might as well get used to having a sly partner. You should know how I think."

Sakura and Ino held their ears up to the door listening to Kakashi and Ahri.

Kakashi smiled. "You are on top of your game when it comes to judging how people think." He motioned to the door. Ahri looked at it and back to Kakashi. He tapped his ear. She nodded her head in understanding. Nothing about her past or her relationship with Kakashi could be spoken of.

"Do you know where they put my clothes?"

He pulled her pack up and handed it to her. "Come get me when you're ready." He casually walked out the door, Sakura and Ino jumping back to the far side of the hall. He grinned at them. "You weren't listening in on our conversation by any chance?" he asked.

"Nnno…" they replied, fiercely shaking their heads.

"Good." He began walking down the hall but Sakura stopped him.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you had a relative?"

"I didn't know I did. We just happened to meet."

Sakura clinched her fist. "That doesn't make any sense!"

Kakashi turned to face her. "It happens all the time. That's why you hear 'long-lost relatives' being talked about."

The door opened and Ahri walked out in her semi-ANBU uniform with the pack thrown over her shoulder. "Let's go Kakashi." She walked down the hall, Kakashi following her with a smile thrown to Sakura and Ino.

"So the scroll made it safe?" she asked.

"Yes. You should be happy. You've only been a Genin for a little while and you just completed a B rank mission. That's impressive."

She laughed. "I had you with me."

Kakashi hugged her shoulders as they walked. "I guess I'm a good partner for you."

Kankuro ran his thumb over the panther pendant. Lately, the stone felt cold to the touch. Not quite cold… but not warm… it had no feeling anymore. It always had some feeling to it, usually a nice warm spot, like a hand over his chest. When Ahri was upset or in pain, he would feel a rise or drop in the temperature. The only thing that would explain its lack of feeling would be Ahri not wearing it. He clutched at the pendant. _ If that is the case, what is keeping her from wearing it? Is she not able to wear it because it shows her identity? Because it won't go under any new uniform she has? Is there a sensible answer?_

He rolled over in his bed. He should have stayed in Konoha with her. Temari could have told her father where she was. It would have saved him the problem. Instead, he was faced with a crying mother, afraid her child was going to be hurt, and a stern shinobi. Once upon a time, he thought that Ahri's father was a washed-up has-been of a ninja; now he knew different. He almost lost his life to that man; angrily yelling at him for allowing Ahri to do something as stupid as that.

Kankuro scowled. Maybe the old man was right.

That night, Ahri rolled over in her sleep, her hand falling on Kakashi's cheek and temple. He rubbed up to the soft touch. Her dreams fell back to her conversation with Haku about Zabuza. At the time, she was so bent on regaining her honor from Kankuro that she did not give much thought to Haku's love for Zabuza. She certainly did not understand then why Haku would risk his life for another person. But now she did. Without thinking, she had stepped in front of that kunai. She knew she would not be able to catch it; that was only something to tell Kakashi. As Haku's face burned in her dreams, suddenly other images came. A horrific scene of Haku standing in-between Kakashi and Zabuza, Kakashi's fist plunged into Haku's body, and Zabuza covered in Haku's blood. Ahri screamed and sat up.

Kakashi's eyes instantly opened at the sound of Ahri's scream. She was sitting up in bed, holding her bandaged stomach. The bandages covered the same place Haku had been hit. Tears stung her eyes as she grasped her stomach. "Ahri? Are you okay? Is it the cut?" He sat up, putting a hand on her stomach.

She jumped away from his hand, taking the sheet with her. Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked at Kakashi.

"What's wrong?"

"What did you do to Haku?"

Kakashi's half-closed eyes opened completely. "How do you know Haku?"

"I met him and Zabuza at the inn. Did you kill Haku?"

"Where is this coming from? Did you read my mind Ahri?"

"Why can't you answer the question?"

He closed his eyes, remembering the mission to the Land of Waves and the fight on the bridge. "It was part of a mission Ahri. Zabuza was my target but Haku jumped in the way."

"Why Zabuza?"

"He was going to kill the person I was assigned to protect. It was the mission Ahri."

She fell to her knees. "Haku…"

Kakashi crawled onto the floor next to her. "Come back to bed Ahri. Haku's death wasn't in vain, if you must know. His death brought Zabuza out of his darkness before it was too late. They both died as heroes in the end." Ahri wouldn't move so he lifted her off the floor and placed her gently back in bed. She turned her face away from Kakashi as he lay back down. "I'm sorry Ahri."

She closed her eyes; Kakashi rarely said that, especially if was related to a mission. "Haku died by doing what I did for you."

Kakashi stared at the back of her head. _Was it Haku who inspired her to save me? _He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ahri, this is important; how did you know about my battle with Zabuza?"

"I was dreaming, and I saw it."

He closed his eyes and recalled her hand on his face while they slept. Surely it was coincidence. It took willpower to break his seal, not casual dreaming about a target. His hand reached down her arm and closed around her hand, just in case.

Kakashi leaned against his counter, watching Ahri sleep in the darkness of the morning. It was hard to train someone whose clan had been destroyed, but he was hoping that the Neko clan had kept secrets hidden away like the Uchiha clan had. If only Rin had stayed longer in Ahri, he could have asked her more questions. Perhaps the only person he could ask now was Ahri's father. But how could he face him after sleeping with his young daughter? Kakashi grabbed his stomach; guilt like that made him sick.

"I thought I was the one with the stomach injury."

He smiled. "Sympathy pains."

Ahri rolled out of bed, her hand over her eyes. "I must have cried all night, my eyes are burning." She carefully walked toward Kakashi so she could turn right to the bathroom door, but he reached out to grab her waist. Delicately removing her hand, he examined her eyes. They were red around the edges, like someone who had cried, but more importantly her normal cat eyes were now gold.

_Could this be the Cat's Eye?_

"What's wrong with them?"

"Tell me if you can see where I'm about to move next." He waved his hand randomly around her face and tried to flick her on the forehead. She dodged it before he had even moved in for the flick. "So you can?"

She turned to him, confused. "Yes."

"You unlocked your Cat's Eye."

"How?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, but it's done. I can teach you so much more now…"

She reached up to her eyes, tracing them around the edges. Finally, she had unlocked her father's secret ability. "I'm going to my old house again." She hurriedly went through her morning routine and rushed through the village to her family's old neighborhood. Using her 

Nekugan, she scanned the street and empty houses. A flicker of gold wavered in her own house; she followed the flicker to find herself in the secret passage she once hid in with Kiba. The passage led upstairs to her room all the way to a basement she did not know existed. A book sat alone on the pedestal in the middle of the room. Gingerly she opened the book and found that it contained her clan's history, including their powers. She knelt on the ground to read it.

Kakashi sat at his desk, unfortunately having to do more paper work. He could not complain; his paper work was only a minute fraction of what Tsunade was forced to do. As his one eye glanced over the paper, the door burst open with Ahri standing there, a Siamese house-cat sitting on her shoulder, her head slightly lowered as she panted. "Let's go train Kakashi."

He stood and looked at her questioningly. "What happened?"

She lifted her head to return his gaze allowing him to notice the new mark next to her left eye; it resembled a scratch from a cat's claw, but it was black, like a seal or tattoo. "I've been blessed," she answered. "By the way, this is Daisuke, the Shape-Shifting Cat."

The cat nodded his head toward Kakashi but remained silent.

_Daisuke? Why is that familiar? _"Let's go then." He followed Ahri and Daisuke down to the training ground he first dueled her in.

Daisuke jumped on top of one of the posts that sat in the center in order to watch the scene.

"Hit me with as many clones as possible," Ahri grinned. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't get so cocky."

He sent five clones to battle her; she easily used her speed and agility to dodge their attacks, leaping backwards to a nearby tree. Once there, she blended into the tree, just to reappear at its top. "Raiton: Gian no Jutsu10!" Her mouth opened to produce two bolts of lightning, knocking out four of the clones. She jumped out of the tree, landing on her feet behind the other clone. She spun out her legs, kicking his feet out from under him, and then kicked at his falling jaw, causing him to disperse.

Kakashi, standing next to Daisuke, stared in wonder. How was she able to do such powerful moves all of the sudden? How much Chakra did she have now? "Ahri!" he called out.

She trotted over to him, panting only a little from the rush.

"What happened today?"

She smiled. "I found my clan's history book, and as I read it, they came to me. All of the dead spirits of the clan. They told me I was all they had and therefore they blessed me with their powers. I feel so strong. Then they told me to summon Daisuke, the only living servant of the clan."

Daisuke began cleaning his face.

"Now, how about those moves you said you could teach me?"

Ahri rolled over in bed, expecting to wrap her arms around Kakashi. Instead, she found a pillow that had been pressed up against her back. _What?_ She opened her eyes and glanced at Kakashi's counter. "Making breakfast?"

Kakashi smiled. "It's finals day. I want to make sure you eat well before you do."

"So perhaps I should have made my own breakfast."

"Hey, hey," he laughed. "I'm trying to make things easier for you." He served the meal on a plate and knelt on the bed next to her. "I want you to do well today."

She began eating while staring at Kakashi. Sometimes, she would find herself lost by just staring at him. _He is… quite beautiful to look at._

"And remember. You shouldn't do the chidori more than once."

"I have more than enough chakra to handle it."

He shook his head. "Just, try to save it for the last match."

"Okay." She finished breakfast and laughed as Kakashi crawled on top of her. "Wishing me good luck?"

"You know it." He kissed her neck.

Shiranui Genma stood in between the two competitors of the final match of the Chuunin exams. His eyes turned to Ahri. _This one has gotten past the hopeful from Sunagakure to be here. She hasn't even been in Konohagakure for very long; she really must be related to Kakashi to have this much skill. She was even late showing up like him._ His eyes turned to Neji. _Neji has been in the Chuunin finals three times now. Every time he is eliminated he trains even harder. By now, he should be able to win. But to go against a Hatake… this fight may be the best I've ever seen._

Ahri's eyes darted over Neji. _According to Kiba's memories, I used to train with Neji when I lived here. We were both at the top of our class at the academy. After I left, he must have gone on to be the only top of the class._

Neji raised his hands into his Gentle Fist position. _I'll be fighting a Hatake, huh? I don't know what powers she may possess, but if she's anything like Kakashi she can use lightning-based jutsu. She doesn't have his Sharingan though. That's a bonus for me._

Seeing Neji raise his hands for battle made Ahri crouch into her own stance. _Nekugan!_ She activated her Cat Eye's, allowing the scene around her to become even clearer.

He frowned. _What eye-jutsu is that? It's not the Sharingan, but it's something that seems just a disconcerting._ _Byugakan! _

Genma sighed. "Let the match begin!"

_I can't use my invisibility jutsu against his Byugakan. I need to distract him while I place shadow clones around the arena._ Her Cat Eyes narrowed on Neji, glowing intently.

_What the hell?_ Neji closed his eyes, but opened to find himself in a dark plane. Anywhere he turned, all he could see was darkness. _Is this some sort of genjutsu? _He raised his hands to release the technique, but the image of Tenten running toward him made him freeze. _Tenten?_

She happily skipped toward him. "Neji!" she called out with a wave. "Neji-kun, do you want to go train tonight? Maybe afterward, we can have a date!"

Neji smiled, forgetting that it was a genjutsu. _A date? It's about time._ His eyes widened with horror as a masked shinobi bearing the Kumogakure forehead protector jumped behind the smiling Tenten. "Tenten! Look out!"

In horror, he watched as the Kumogakure shinobi used a similar technique to the Raikiri on Tenten. She fell to the ground, blood gushing out of her mouth and wound. "Neji," she whispered, reaching out to him.

"If you won't help her, I will."

Neji turned to see his father running out of the darkness toward the Kumo-nin. "Father! No!" He tried to rush after his father, but his feet were unable to move. As his father was struck down repeatedly by the Kumo-nin in front of him, Neji closed his eyes. _I have to release it. It's only a genjutsu._ He focused on his chakra, hoping to release the genjutsu.

He opened his eyes to find himself on the floor of the arena, kneeling in front of Ahri. He glared at her as he stood to his feet. "A genjutsu?" he asked.

"Not just any genjutsu. My personal, Neko Magen no Jutsu11."

_Neko Magen no Jutsu? I've never heard of such a jutsu. _He reactivated his Byugakan and scanned the area. _She used the genjutsu as a distraction to place shadow clones around the arena. They seemed to be leeched in the ground, walls, and even the trees. She must realize that I can see them, but she also realizes that they're too far out of my range. Furthermore, because kage bunshin equally disperses chakra amongst the original and the clones, I cannot tell which is the really Ahri._ He scanned the one in front of him. _Even with several clones, this one still has a lot of chakra. They must all have that much chakra. She has almost as much chakra as Naruto._

The Ahri in front of him quickly formed a few hand seals. "Raiton: Gian no jutsu12!" Two large beams of lightning escaped from her mouth toward Neji. Her hands reached quickly to her kunai straps, releasing several kunai under the lightning attack.

_A double attack. _"Hakkesho Kaiten13!" He spun around rapidly, releasing chakra from his chakra points. Doing so created a shield, allowing him to protect himself from the attack. As he ended his spin, one of Ahri's clones shot out of the ground, hoping to hit him with an uppercut. He dodged the attack; "Hakke Rokujūyon Shō14!" Time seemed to slow for Neji as he felt himself standing upon the Eight Trigrams chart. Ahri stood in front of him, slowly turning to face him. "Two hits…" Neji announced as he hit two of her chakra points. "Four hits… eight hits…" His hands flew at the clone. "Sixteen hits… thirty-two hits…" The clone staggered backward. "Sixty-four hits!" He ended the attack, and the clone dissipated.

"Kaze no Yaiba15!"

He grimaced as another clone jumped down at him only seconds after finishing his Sixty-Four Palms jutsu. Again he dodged the attack, hitting the falling clone soundly in the back, near the heart, causing it to dissipate. _I'm barely getting a second to breathe. This must be why she created all the clones; to drain my stamina._

"Raiton" Rairyu no Tatsumaki!" yelled the Ahri that stood patiently before him. Gathering lightning in her hands, she spun around quickly. Doing so caused the lightning to take the shape of a dragon who then rushed at Neji like a tornado.

_This is almost like Raiga's jutsu, but done without the swords. I was right in thinking she was a lightning user._ Again, he used his heavenly spin jutsu, protecting himself from the lightning vortex.

Ahri frowned. _That spin defends against everything, but at least I'm wearing him out. I can tell by the sound of his infrequent yet heavy breathing._

Another clone raced toward him as the heavenly spin wore off. "Chidori16!"

_Shit!_ Neji barely had time to use his heavenly spin again as the lightning neared him. _I'm tired of only being on the defensive against her. She's out of range for any of my offensive techniques. I have to create one that will hit long-range targets. This is worse than fighting Temari._ He jumped forward after his spin wore off to miss two panthers jumping at him. _Transformation jutsu? Interesting._ "Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō17!" He hit a chakra point on 

each of the panthers, then two on each, until he finally hit sixty-four points on each of them. The panthers dissipated before him. He panted as he turned to the last two Ahri's. His Byugakan noted one still leeched into a tree as well as the one that had been standing before him this entire time. _The one in the tree is probably the original Ahri. If I want a chance, I have to go after that one._ He rushed forward, hoping to close in on the original.

The clone in front of him jumped back. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu18!"

Neji was forced to rapidly jump to the side as the large fireball spread across the arena floor. When he landed, he was quickly kicked into the air. _Where did that come from? It was faster than my Byugakan could detect it!_ His eyes widened as he realized that Ahri was below him. _She's able to use Kage Buyo_19_? I thought only Lee and Gai could use this, or Sasuke with his Sharingan. Kakashi must have copied the move too, and then taught it to her. Unless those eyes of hers can copy moves. What are those eyes?_

Ahri grabbed Neji in a bear hug.

_I'm going to die; this move is intended to kill the target._ He attempted to break free from her grasp, but being in the air made him completely vulnerable.

She began spiraling in the air, bringing them closer to the ground, but as they neared the ground, Ahri let go of Neji and performed a backflip in the air, causing herself to nearly stand on top of his falling body. She kicked heavily at his stomach, and as a result he crashed to the ground on his back.

Neji stared at the sky as Ahri landed next to him. _She changed the technique at the last minute, and by doing so, she didn't kill me._

Ahri grinned. _I didn't kill you, but I stunned you with my Nekosenpu Rendan_20_ enough to win the match._

Genma announced Ahri as the winner.

Instead of shouting or cheering for herself, she kneeled next to Neji. "I'm going to help you up; don't try to stand on your own." Holding his arm, she hefted him to his feet and became a crutch for him.

Neji frowned. _I've lost three Chuunin finals in a row._

"We should train together," she whispered to him.

He cast a sidelong glance at her.

"I've got enough bunshin for you to train against, and it seems to me that you need a long-range attack."

Neji nodded in agreement.

Team Hatake walked toward Konoha upon finishing their latest mission. "I'm looking forward to a shower and a nap," Ahri sighed. "But I probably have to train with Neji, assuming his team is in."

"I'm proud of your devotion to training," Kakashi mumbled from behind his book.

"I have a lot of catching up to do." She smiled. "And my clan has a lot of lightning-based techniques that I'm trying to learn."

"Your clan excelled at those techniques. I remember that now. It's almost like the Uchiha Clan and their use of fire jutsu."

"So we were cat-friendly lightning-users. Strange clan."

"And your clan liked to sing."

"And it gets even stranger."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Some of us like a little strangeness in our lives."

She glanced up with a smile. _If we were alone in his apartment, he'd be kissing me right now. I know that look in his eye._

"How about you skip training with Neji for today, and I'll treat you to that shower and nap."

_See? I was so right about him._ "I have a feeling I won't be getting much of a nap."

"Maybe you will when I'm through with you." They separated as they arrived at the gates. "So, how about the offer?"

She frowned in mock contemplation, but it soon changed to a real frown upon hear the dreaded: "KAKASHI!"

Kakashi joined her frowning. _Not Gai. Not now._

"I see you have returned from your mission Kakashi! If the count is correct, you owe me a match of youthfulness to break the tie!"

Kakashi raised his book over his face, hoping to avoid Gai all together; it did not work. Gai simply jumped in front of him.

"What will it be this time Kakashi? A battle to show our prowess in the ways of the shinobi?" He punched the air between them. "A marathon! A swimming contest? A drinking contest? Or perhaps… a test of our student's prowess in the way of the shinobi, and a test of our skills as a sensei?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. _Did Gai just have a decent idea?_ "Is it my turn to choose the event?"

"Hai!"

Ahri folded her arms over her chest. _Is Kakashi actually paying attention to Gai for once? What's gotten in his head, especially after knowing what we were going to do together?_

"I think our students should have a match."

She gasped. "Wait, wait, wait! Which student do you plan having this match?" _He can't mean me, right? We're supposed to be equals now. Yes? YES?_

"I choose Lee!" shouted Gai, presenting them both with his 'Nice Guy' pose.

"Not you," Ahri growled.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "You're the only student I have that's available."

"I thought I wasn't considered a student anymore…"

Gai closed his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter! This is an important match!"

Kakashi's face turned red when he saw Ahri's angered face. "You were going to train anyway."

"I had a change of heart." She narrowed her eyes, hoping to give Kakashi a signal.

He smiled. "This won't take long." They followed Gai to Lee's dojo. "Besides, this could be somewhat fun," he whispered into her ear. "Might be your only chance to fight Lee. For my entertainment."

Ahri sighed. _Well, I have worked on taijutsu while training with Neji. I know that Lee's specialty is taijutsu; it really will be good training. It's just, fuzzy-brows really does freak me out._

Gai announced to Lee that a special match was to take place between him and Ahri. Lee stood at the ready.

"And Kakashi, if Lee loses…"

Kakashi sighed. _Now it's time to hear his outrageous promise._

"…I will 2000 laps around Konoha, backwards! It's a promise!"

"Any rules?" Ahri casually asked, avoiding Gai's "Nice-Guy" pose. She pulled her unraveling braids into a bun.

"There is only one rule Ahri-sama!" Lee announced, holding up one finger. "I ask you to not hold back against me!"

She crouched into her fighting stance and activated her Nekugan. "Understood."

Lee stood in his Strong Fist stance. _Fighting a Hatake will surely be a challenge of fighting a genius!_ He rushed forward at Ahri; she charged at him as well.

"Konoha Reppu21!" Lee yelled as he performed a sweeping kick, knocking Ahri off her feet.

She quickly rolled back to avoid another attack. _He's damn fast; I thought I had enough time to jump up before the attack happened. I have to increase my speed; this is ridiculous._ She jumped back again as Lee charged at her.

"I saw your match against Neji-kun," he huffed out as she dodged his attack. "I was most impressed with your version of the Front Lotus."

"Adigato?" _No time to talk; I want this match over so I can have alone time with Kakashi before our next mission._ She focused her Nekugan on Lee. _If he's a taijutsu master, I'm not going to defeat him with taijutsu alone. I'll have to use my ninjutsu against him. _"Kage bunshin no jutsu22!" Three clones appeared next to her. The four of them together attacked Lee, forcing him to split his concentration in four directions. Ahri swept a kick out at Lee. "Hatake Reppu23!" she yelled.

Kakashi grinned. _Did she just mimic Lee's Konoha Reppu and rename it? So typical of her, pretending to have the Sharingan._

Lee frowned as he fell to his own technique. _This will not do; not in front of Gai-sensei. _With a resolved expression, he stood, facing the four Ahri's. Again, he raised his hands in the Strong Fist style.

Ahri was amazed at his increase in speed as he knocked off two of her clones. _Where did this energy come from, did he open one of the gates? Or… is he hoping to impress Gai? I won't let him win. Not with Kakashi here._

"Konoha Shofu24!" Lee yelled. He kicked Ahri high into the air.

_Shit. This is the set-up for the Front Lotus._

Sure enough, Lee was using the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf, flying through the air slightly below her in the same directory.

_With this move, I cannot perform any hand seals, which leaves most people vulnerable. But because I've trained this move a thousand times against my own clones…_ She closed her eyes as Lee's bandages closed around her, placing her in a bear hug. "Raiton: Raigeki no 

Yoroi25!" Her entire body was covered in lightning, knocking away anything and anyone touching her.

Lee's eyes opened in realization as he fell sharply to the ground.

"Shikyaku Henge no jutsu26!" She transformed into her panther form, allowing her to rotate in the air and land on all fours.

Her opponent stood shakily to his feet.

_How can he still stand after getting charged with that much lightning?_ She ran forward, transforming out of panther form as she ran. "Hatake Daisenpu27!" She leapt forward, performing a spinning kick with both of her legs.

Lee barely dodged the attack. _It must be done._ He grabbed the weights off his legs and threw them to the side, knocking two holes in his dojo's walls.

Ahri frowned. _He's going to be so fast I won't be able to see him. I have to return the favor. _"Meisaigakure no jutsu28!"

He scanned the empty area before him. _Even with my speed, if I can't see an opponent, it's pointless._

"Raiton: Raikyu29!"

Several balls of lightning flew at him from the ceiling, but with his speed he was able to avoid them.

Ahri jumped on the wall behind Lee, still invisible, and quickly formed the needed hand seals. _Serpent, sheep, monkey, pig, horse, tiger. _ "Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu30!"

Lee turned around with slight fear in his eyes; Gai jumped in front of him, extinguishing the flame. "Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted.

"Enough!" Gai yelled. "Using that jutsu in such in an enclosed space, it would have been the end of you Lee." Gai frowned at Ahri who not sat visible on the wall. "It is obvious who won this match." He instantly changed to a smile and his 'Nice Guy' pose. "Obviously, the youthful spirit is in Ahri-sama!"

Ahri cocked her eyebrow. _I thought he was going to kill me for using such a dangerous technique on Fuzzy-Brows._

"As I promised, I will do my laps around Konoha, backwards!"

"And I will do twice as many, for failing you Gai-sensei!"

Ahri slipped out of the dojo with Kakashi.

Kakashi and Ahri sat on the village's wall, watching Gai and Lee run their laps backward. "This makes that spar worth it," Ahri noted while holding an ice pack to one of her numerous bruises. "Even though I could never beat him in a one-on-one taijutsu match."

"Your strength lies elsewhere." He pulled out his book and casually began reading.

She watched his stoic face behind the book. _I wonder if he feels like I do? Does he see us as something more? Does he love me? I could never admit it unless he admitted it first._

"I thought you were going to take a shower and a nap?"

"We're back at that again?" She put the ice pack away. "Wouldn't want to interrupt your book."

"Not like I haven't read it before." He closed the book and hurried with her to his apartment.

A year passed for Ahri. With her clan's blessing, she became intent on training with Neji, Kakashi, or even her own clones. It seemed the only time she was not training was when she was on missions with Kakashi or watching the clouds with Shikamaru and Chouji. Her inner panther enjoyed sitting under the sun and watching the clouds. Her inner panther also had an annoying habit of needing to be kept clean. She never knew cats were obsessive compulsive, but they were.

"That one looks like Chouji," Ahri pointed out a cloud to Shikamaru and Chouji.

Shikamaru laughed, but Chouji squinted harder. "I don't see it."

"Well… you have to squint and picture you with butterfly wings. But that's definitely you."

Chouji continued to squint as Kakashi flickered in front of them. "I need to talk to you."

Ahri walked away from Shikamaru and Chouji in order to talk to Kakashi on the other side of the building. "What is it?"

"The council is talking about making you a Jonin."

She smiled and leaned back. "Well that's interesting."

"After you receive the title, I'm taking you out to celebrate."

"Oh? Where are you taking me?"

"To the Bird Country."

She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, a mission?"

He laughed. "Actually it's not. Though I requested it as a training mission and possibly a tracking mission if we run over any information that might lead us to Sasuke."

Throughout their entire year together, their missions always had a possible tie to Sasuke, but always ended up as a missed shot.

She smiled. "Well, let's hurry up and receive my title! I can't wait to start training." She added a wink to the end.

"Kakashi-sensei! Ahri-sama!"

The two looked up from their conversation to see Sakura running towards them.

"Ahri-sama! Tsunade wants to see you. She wants you to come too Kaka-sensei."

Ahri and Kakashi followed Sakura to the Hokage's office. Tsunade, and the entire council, sat behind a large, semi-U shaped desk. Ahri, Kakashi, and Sakura stood before them. Ahri smiled at Iruka, who sat on the council, and he returned it with a blush. Kakashi shot a glance to Ahri. _What is that about?_

"Hatake Ahri," Tsunade began. "The council has reviewed your mission success, Chuunin progress, and the referrals made by Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, Matoi Gai, Mitarashi Anko, Morino Ibiki, and Umino Iruka."

_Every Jonin I've been on a mission with while I've been here._ Her favorite had been with Ibiki; she wish she had one-tenth of his talent when it came to understanding the human mind.

"Based on these referrals and your performance, the council has decided to make you a Jonin of Konoha. Congratulations."

The panther within her roared, but she held back speaking. She was becoming the great shinobi she had dreamed of.

"That was a lot of referrals," Ahri stated as she walked with Kakashi to the Bird Country. "I was surprised by some of them, like Ibiki and Anko… and Gai."

"Gai is very impressed by your improvement in taijutsu."

"That's what Iruka said."

Kakashi stopped walking. "When did you become such good friends with Iruka?"

"We eat a lot of ramen. Apparently he really misses that Naruto student of yours. He got lonely eating ramen without him, so we started talking. Mostly about Naruto, but sometimes about things like Gai being impressed with my taijutsu." She turned her eyes to a small cave on the right and hurried to it.

"What…" Kakashi was about to ask, but by now he had learned to just follow.

She crawled through the cave in order to find it lead to a very small hollow, surrounded by the moss covered mountains. A small trickle of water fell down from one of the overhanging cliffs, landing in a tiny pond. "Wow," she breathed. It was a beautiful little spot.

"How did you know this was here?" Kakashi slid out from the narrow cave.

"I really didn't. I just heard water and wanted to know what it was."

"You heard this little trickle?"

She put her pack down. "Maybe I just wanted to distract you from being jealous of Iruka."

Kakashi walked up behind her and whispered in her ear, "I'm not jealous of Iruka. I'm jealous of you trying to make me jealous."

Ahri stood staring at the falling water as his lips brushed her ears while whispering into it. Because of her year of hard training and missions, she rarely had any alone time with him anymore, especially since she decided it would be a good idea to use her mission money to have her own place to sleep at night. It felt good to have him so nearby. His fingers ran down her neck, down her long, single French braid, and to the band on the end. He pulled the band off, slipping it on his wrist. His other hand quickly rushed up the braid, allowing it to naturally lie against her back in waves. Within the year, her hair had grown six inches. Kakashi grinned; he loved her long hair, and how it still smelled like milk and honey. He buried his nose into the thick locks, inhaling the sweet smell as his hands ran down her arms.

He grabbed the jacket-vest and popped it open, pulling it off of her black 'ANBU' uniform. His hands raced back up her upper chest to pull the mask down from her face. Ahri reached her hand up on his, leading it to the forehead protector that easily fell to the ground. Kakashi spun her around in his arms, pulling down his own mask. He kissed her, but gently. Her nature had always been painful pleasure; he wanted to show her there was more than that.

"I'm going with you to the Chuunin exams," Kankuro announced to Temari. He was already packed and dressed to go. The last Chuunin exams were missed by the Sand siblings, Baki going in their place with some of the Genin.

"If Gaara's going to become Kazekage, you should stay with him."

Kankuro shook his head. "I'm going. I might see Ahri. Baki told me about her skill last year, facing off against one of ours and Hyuga Neji. I have to see her; I should have went last time."

"We were on a mission last time."

Kankuro scowled. "I know. I don't have a mission now, so I'm going to Konoha." He ran past her before she could protest, already heading out to the Fire Country.

Ahri traced her finger over Kakashi's chest as she sat on his stomach in the inn he had secured for them in the Bird Country. It was far enough away from the Countries of Fire and Wind to allow them some privacy, or so Kakashi hoped. Her fingers ran over to his left arm, following the swirl of his ANBU tattoo. "Will we be able to do this forever?" she whispered.

He opened his right eye. "Some day you will regain your identity; some day you will actually be the age you say you are."

She traced her finger up his neck and to the scar over his closed left eye. His Sharingan was unable to be deactivated like her Nekugan; the only way he could conserve chakra was by keeping the eye closed or covered. "You don't think anyone would question how…" She stopped. She didn't know what she wanted to say. A part of her wanted to be with him forever, but another part of her wondered if that was smart. She did not even know if they loved each other. They just loved each other's company.

_And to be together forever…_

That was a long time.

He reached up and twirled her hair in his hands. _Why does she have a serious face suddenly?_

Ahri closed her eyes. _What if Orochimaru is never caught? What if I have a child with Kakashi? If I am being targeted, any child I have with a powerful Jonin like Kakashi will be targeted, and maybe by more than Orochimaru._

"Don't close your eyes," he whispered.

She reopened them.

"When you close your eyes like that… it makes you look like you are going to cry."

She sighed. "Sometimes I want to."

He pulled her down to lie next to him, stroking her arm. Through her smiles and jokes, there was still pain inside. "I don't ever want to see you cry. Remember, with me here, everything will be alright." He kissed her forehead to add a promise to his statement.

Kankuro walked through the streets of Konoha, keeping an eye out for Ahri. Temari had already found Shikamaru; he was her personal guide. Rock Lee had already asked about Gaara. _Where is Ahri?_

"Kankuro!"

He turned around to see Kiba riding on the back of a very large Akamaru. "Wow," he breathed.

"Glad to see you made it to the Chuunin exams this time. You know I'll be in it."

Kankuro sighed. "That's great. Do you know where Ahri is?"

Kiba jumped off the back of Akamaru. "I heard she went on a scouting mission with Kakashi."

_Of course_, thought Kankuro, _when I'm on a mission she's here; when she's on a mission I'm here. Why do these things happen?_

"You'd be amazed at her now. She told me she unlocked the inner power of her clan, and she's just… amazing. You know she's a Jonin now, right?"

Kankuro's mouth dropped. _Ahri made Jonin before me and Temari?_

"Yeah… having Kakashi as her sensei has really helped her out."

If she was able to reach such heights in that short of time… Kankuro clinched his fist, the remnants of their old rivalry flaring up. _I have to make Jonin._

"Hatake Shofu31!" shouted Ahri.

Neji jumped back from the kick. "What was that? Did you just rip off one of Lee's moves?"

She laughed and stood up. "I did. I really did. Put it together with my Nekosenpu Rendan,32 and I've become a taijutsu user in the end."

"Heh; I can't see you becoming a straight taijutsu user. You have a wide repertoire of techniques. I mean, you've trained under Kakashi; the copier of 1000 techniques."

"Yah; doesn't mean he's taught me all of those jutsu. But, yes, I'll stick with being primarily a ninjutsu user. Though it is nice to have a back-up if I can't use my chakra for some reason." They walked to the exit of the Hyuga's training ground. "Assuming no missions arise, I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded goodbye, and she walked to training ground 14 to find Kakashi standing in front of the memorial stone, practicing hand seals.

"O-ushi, saru, usagi, nezumi, ousu-buta, o-ushi, uma, tori, nezumi, inu, tora, hebi, o-ushi, o-hitsuji, hebi, ousu-buta, o-hitsuji, nezumi, saru, tori, ryu, tori, o-ushi, uma, o-hitsuji, tora, hebi, nezumi, saru, usagi, ousu-buta, ryu, o-hitsui, nezumi, o-ushi, saru, tori, nezumi, o-hitsuji, tori!"

"That wouldn't happen to be the hand seals for the Water dragon jutsu, would it?"

He stopped the rapid hand seals. "How very observant of you. It is the water dragon jutsu. Because it has the most hand seals of any jutsu, I especially need to increase the speed in which I make them."

"Is this one of the thousand techniques you've copied?"

"Well, I'm sure I've copied more than a thousand techniques by now, but yes, I copied it." He stopped smiling when he realized what her next question was going to be.

"From who?"

_Just as I expected. _"A shinboi from Kirigakure."

_Such a vague description, that's very unlike Kakashi. That must mean… _"You mean, Momochi Zabuza?"

He nodded his head.

"Well, I guess he was useful for something then." She walked away from Kakashi. "I'm going to go shower; I had long training session with Neji. You know me, I can't stay dirty for long."

"I know; your inner cat won't allow it."

She nodded and walked to her apartment. _Momochi Zabuza… _She sighed as she turned on her shower and stepped under the warm water. _I wonder where I'd be now if Zabuza had been able to come back and retrieve me. Would I have been on that bridge, dying alongside him and Haku? Or would we have been able to overpower Kakashi and his team? Either way, if Zabuza had come back to get me, either I or Kakashi would be dead. I guess it is for the best that Zabuza died._ She closed her eyes as the warm water trickled over her face. _Still, I can't deny that I constantly thought about him after I first met him. Sometimes I can still feel his _

_eyebrow-less face hovering over mine, jerking at my hair, pressing his lips against mine._ She opened her eyes, and thought she could see Zabuza leaning over her. She could even feel him. _I suppose this is how Kiba feels about me… a lot of 'what ifs'. I shouldn't be wasting time, dreaming of a mystery._

The door to her bathroom opened. "Ahri?"

She gasped at the recognition of Kakashi's voice. "What is it?"

He poked his unmasked head around the shower curtain. "We've got a mission."

"You had to interrupt my shower to tell me we had a mission?" She leaned her head back to soak her hair.

Kakashi grinned at the sight. "I could have waited, but where would the fun in that be?"

She splashed him with water. "Pervert."

"According to our information, one of Orochimaru's lairs is a few miles north from where we are now," Kakashi whispered.

Ahri glanced toward the trees from their kneeling position. "I could use my Leech Creation jutsu to spy on the lair, but he may have preventions against the technique. I'd say the best bet is from the air, especially since it's night." _Nekugan!_ Her cat eyes allowed her to see the dark tree tops better, especially any movement in the branches. "There's a little friend. Catch my body; I'm going to use a mind jutsu on that eagle up there."

He glanced at the trees. "Eagle?"

"She's building a nest, at the top of that oak over there. You might not be able to see her. Anyway, here goes. Shintenshin no jutsu33!"

Kakashi caught her collapsing body as her mind entered the eagle. He noted the silhouette of the bird rising from the tree and flying north. "Stay safe, Ahri." He held her body tighter, pulling a kunai out for extra protection purposes. Soon, the eagle was swooping back to her tree, and Ahri's body lifted out of Kakashi's arms. "Did you get a good look?"

She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the change. "I only saw three shinobi near the lair. They were next to the only visible entrance. It looked like a small hole in the ground."

"Could you tell any of their abilities?"

"One was twirling a bo around, but otherwise, I couldn't tell. They were drunk, but that probably wouldn't hinder their ability, at least not in any significant way."

He shook his head. "This was a reconnaissance mission only; we won't be fighting them."

"Well, we haven't gathered much information. If I send an invisible shadow clone, use the mind body switch on one of the guards, I could gather information…"

"I'm sure any shinobi Orochimaru is using as a guard would be a high enough level to realize the jutsu he's under. At least enough to report it after the fact. If we out right attack, or cause any form of distraction, they would assume their base was discovered and would abandon it…"

They both turned to a presence behind the trees. Instinctively, Ahri grabbed Kakashi and merged with the ground using her leech creation jutsu.

A tall, dark shinobi bearing the Otogakure forehead protector and metal over his arms walked to where they had been sitting. "Come out wherever you are," he growled. "I know you're hiding somewhere. You can either face me like a man, or I'll just… pound the ground 

you're hiding in!" He raised his metal covered arms into the air. "Jimen Kaminarinami34!" The fists hit the ground, sending tremors through the earth.

"Shit!" hissed Ahri as she and Kakashi were rattled to the ground's surface. "There went any hope of getting away without a fight."

Kakashi rolled onto his feet next to her. "What kind of strength does this guy have?"

Their opponent laughed. "Do you want to find out?" rumbled his deep voice.

"Leave him to me," Ahri whispered to Kakashi.

"We'll take him on together."

"My taijutsu is better than yours."

"I don't think taijutsu would be the best approach to him. Not with those arms."

The Otogakure-shinobi grinned. "You two argue like a married couple."

"Married couple?" Kakashi's eye widened. _Son of a bitch is just going to put thoughts in her head. _His hand reached to his forehead protector to activate his Sharingan.

Ahri put her hand on Kakashi's, stopping him from using the Sharingan. "Safe your energy; back me up. He may be strong, but he's just a peon of Orochimaru's."

"Peon?" shouted the shinobi.

"Well, you don't have a name," Ahri cockily replied. She stepped forward, finalizing Kakashi's status as back-up.

"Neither do you."

Her Nekugan activated. "Unfortunately for you, I do. Hatake Ahri. Remember the name well, because you'll die by my hand… peon."

"It's Tekun!" He raced towards her with one of his bionic arms at the ready.

"Ahri!" Kakashi yelled, fearing that even one touch of the arm would break every bone in her body.

She raced toward Tekun, but quickly jumped into the air above him. His punch hit thin air, but his other arm raised up, extending into the air.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu35!" A clone appeared between her and the extending arm, blocking the attack from hitting her. She spun in the air, skidding to a halt behind Tekun. _Those arms, metal is a rod for lightning, right? _"Raiton: Raikyu36!" Her hand shot forward, blasting several balls of lightning at him. "Take that, lightning rod!"

He raised both arms into a cross in front of him. "Zankūha37!" Air shot out of small holes in the metal.

Kakashi's eye narrowed, recalling the Sound Genin at Team 7's Chuunin Exam. One of them, Zaku, had holes in his hands that allowed him to do the same technique. _Not only has Orochimaru's experiments allowed for the extremely strong arms, but for the sound and air jutsu as well. This will be no easy task. Ahri really cannot do this alone…_

Ahri jumped to a top branch of a nearby tree. _What type of jutsu is that? Sound and air? I always had a theory about sound jutsu being a combination of lightning and wind techniques. If I had the ability, I would use a combination of wind and fire to combat it, but using paraelemental techniques is beyond me. I'll just have to go with fire and wind separately._ She held the seal of the snake up to her. _I hope you understand what I'm doing, Kakashi. _Dragon. 

Rabbit. The seal of tiger to her lips. "Katon: Ryuka no jutsu38!" The large fire dragon roared down to Tekun.

He held his arm up again, shooting air at it. This only caused the technique to split in two, surrounding him with flame.

Kakashi grinned. _His technique has little defense again fire. _With lightning-fast hand seals, he held the seal of the tiger up to his mouth. "Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!39"

The fire spread forward.

Tekun punched the ground, causing the earth around him to rise and protect him from the flames.

Ahri grinned; she was hoping he would do something similar to an earth shield, based on his first jutsu. She leapt from her branch seat. "Chidori40!"

Kakashi ran forward. "Raikiri41!" The two lightning jutsu hit the earth wall, flying through to hit the exposed chest of the shinobi. Ahri could see Kakashi's hand sticking out of the body next to her, as Kakashi could see her hand sticking out of the body next to him. "I think, we got him." The lightning faded from his hand, and he pulled the blood soaked arm back. "We can't leave him here; they might spot him."

"Let's take him back to Konoha; they'll know what to do with him there. You can carry him."

Kakashi hefted the large body over his shoulders. "It'd be good training for you to carry him some."

"I'm not buying it." She rushed forward.

Ahri stared at the ceiling over her bed. She used a lame excuse of being tired from the mission to find alone time from Kakashi. _Even though he's great, it's always fun… I suppose… to fantasize what might have been. And I can't think of it as cheating, I'll never be able to be with Zabuza. Might as well enjoy his image while I'm alone. _She closed her eyes, feeling Zabuza leaning over her, kissing her neck. She smiled, falling asleep to his haunting memory.

Several more months faded away. Her new Jonin level brought her constant missions. Her expenditure with Kakashi to the Bird Country caused her to miss the Chuunin exam, and any hope of seeing her Sand friends. She did return to find that Hinata, Sakura, Ino, Kiba, and Chouji had all made Chuunin, and Neji was now a Jonin. (Added to Rock Lee, Tenten, and Shino, all of that age group were now Chuunin). But her missions did not allow her to congratulate them for long; her skills made her an excellent tracker and spy, and she was constantly working with Kakashi and Pakkun in search of information on Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Akatsuki. Her missions barely allowed time to train, though she trained with Kakashi to make their hand symbols even faster, and she trained on her own original jutsu. She rarely was able to enjoy a night with Kakashi either.

She jumped into the small enclosure that they were using as a camp, allowing her body to become visible again. "No one in the immediate area," she reported.

"I'll take first watch," he replied, lifting the forehead protector from his Sharingan. "Rest up; you've done a lot."

She gladly fell asleep next to him. While using her invisibility jutsu did not use up a lot of her chakra, merging with the landscape did. It seemed as soon her eyes closed, they were forced open by Kakashi's voice. She quickly sprang to attention, her Nekugan activating. Around the enclosure stood several dark figures, the only one she was able to distinguish had a mask over his face except for his right eye. It was the same naïve ninja from their scroll mission.

Kakashi stood nearby, three kunai sticking out of his thigh. "Tell us what you know about Akatsuki, and we'll let you live," said a voice behind the masked ninja.

"Obviously we don't know anything or we wouldn't be out looking for information. Maybe you should tell us what you know about Akatsuki, and we'll let you live."

The figures laughed. All had the same voice, though different from the speaker. They had to be clones.

"Merge," Kakashi whispered.

She nodded and quickly seeped into the ground below her. "What?" the masked man asked.

"Kage bunshin no justu42!"

He turned to see several of Ahri's clones now behind him. They charged at the clones, giving Kakashi time to jump out of the hole. While Ahri was fighting the man and his clones, Kakashi noted that the whole camp was surrounded by this person's clones. There seemed to be as many as Naruto could conjure up. With the immediate clones destroyed, Ahri turned her attention to the one who had jumped back among the ranks of his massive clones. Right as she was about to perform her lightning release on the one she was sure was the real one, a large beam of chakra shot out at her. Instead of hitting her, it hit Kakashi who had flown in front of the attack.

"Kakashi!" she screamed as his limp body fell to the ground.

Ahri looked up at the place the chakra beam had come from. Her eyes glowed dangerously, her teeth bared. _It's time to try my new jutsu._ "Raiton: Taju Kage Bunshin no Justu43!" she yelled, slamming her hand on the ground in front of Kakashi's still body.

Suddenly, hundreds of her clones appeared in a tight circle surrounding her and Kakashi. Each one of them then opened their mouths, shooting two beams of lightning out. The mass and power of the attack caused her to fall on top of Kakashi as the enemy's clones quickly disappeared. She winced; hopefully the original and his partner disappeared with it. But she could not take that chance. With her last amount of power, she grabbed Kakashi and sank into the ground, quickly using it to travel as far as she could go. It landed her in the graveyard of a small village.

She emerged, still clutching on to Kakashi's lifeless body. Tears streamed down her face as she cradled him. "You can't die on me! Don't die!" Her hands reached down to the massive wound on his stomach, hoping that she could use chakra like a medic-nin. Nothing happened. "Damn it! You can't die!" Her hand reached up to his forehead. "Kakashi, I love you. Don't die."

_Damn it! All this power I've gained and I can't do a single thing to save him. Why? Why him?_

She bent down, hugging his head, pressing her cheek against the top of his head.

A strong wind swept through the graveyard, causing her to shield her face with her arms. Someone's presence made her shiver; surely those guys could not have survived.

"You love him?"

Moving her arm out of her vision, Ahri saw the spirit of a young man standing on top of a tombstone. Still sobbing, Ahri could only nod 'yes'.

"I loved her too. I was too weak to save her." The ghost walked forward, several spirits rising to walk in his wake.

"Nothing I could do would bring him back," another ghost said.

Suddenly, ten ghosts had surrounded Ahri, each one lamenting about how they could not save their loved one. She turned back to Kakashi, seeing his own spirit rising from his body. "No!" Ahri shouted, reaching out to his spirit. "Don't leave me!"

His spirit sat halfway out of his body, reaching its ghostly hand out to hers. She could feel the chill as it hovered over her fingertips.

"Kakashi," she whispered through her tears. "I love you. Don't leave me."

He reached up to her cheek, in a gesture that would have dried her tears. "Don't cry," his spirit said.

She pulled a kunai out and held it to her chest. "You're not leaving without me."

The spirit dropped its hand down to the kunai, but was unable to grab it from her.

Finally the other ten ghosts stopped lamenting and knelt over Kakashi. Ahri's hand froze, the kunai tip pressed against her skin. The ghosts were pushing Kakashi's spirit back into his body. "It's not your time yet," the first ghost said. "She loves you." As the spirit lay back in the body, the ghosts placed their hands over the wound. The first ghost turned to look at Ahri. "Thank you for listening."

She dropped the kunai and felt where the seal on her back was burning. _Is this part of the power that had been sealed away?_

The ghosts' hands began flowing with chakra, healing the wound. As the wound closed, each ghost faded out of her sight. Finally, the first ghost was all that remained. The wound finished closing, and a sigh of relief sounded with the ghost's disappearance.

"Kakashi!" she exclaimed, falling on his body. It moved under her, wincing from the pain. "Thank you reikon," she whispered.

"Ahri?" Kakashi choked.

She turned to him, her hand on his cheek. "Yes?"

"I… I was…"

"I know."

He closed his eyes. "I don't understand." He reached his hand up to hers. With his death, he was able to see more clearly how he felt about her. "Ahri. I love you."

She kissed his forehead. "I love you too."

Ahri sat next to Kakashi's bed at the Konoha hospital. "Gaara is now the Fifth Kazekage," she whispered to Kakashi while staring at her hands.

His eye drifted from the ceiling toward her.

"I heard that Kankuro made Jonin." She grinned. "I made Jonin first."

Kakashi remained silent; he steadily watched her.

"I heard Naruto should be back soon. You'll have your old students back." She turned to face the open window. "They need you; you're a pretty good teacher after all. I think we both 

taught each other." Her loose hair stirred as a breeze passed the open window. "Another Chuunin exam is coming up; an ambassador from the Sand will be arriving next week."

He couldn't help but feel mesmerized by the young woman sitting next to him. In a few weeks, two years would have passed. Naruto would be coming back, yes; but she would be turning seventeen. She was really becoming a woman that he could be with. Her body had finally formed, no longer were her breasts small enough to be held back by a tight bra. Her hair had grown down to her waist. He smiled. She also loved him.

"When you've healed, I'm going to go home."

His smile faded.

"Even if it's just for a short visit. I haven't seen my parents in so long; I need to see them. I need to see…" Her voice faded.

"Kankuro?"

She turned back to him with a smile. "I can't let him forget that I made Jonin before he did."

Kakashi closed his eyes. _Is_ _that all she is going for?_

"And if Gaara's Kazekage, well I have to see that too. I can't believe it." She stood and knelt next to the bed; her head level with Kakashi's. "Shizune told me you should be able to go home today, and rest there. I'll have to take care of you until you're complete. Are you ready?"

He nodded his head and set up.

Ahri stood over Kakashi's small counter as he watched her. She had fluffed up all his pillows to allow him to partially sit up, but the bandages would not allow him to fully sit up. "I hope all these missions haven't cut back on my ability with food," she joked as she served the dumplings onto a plate. She sat next to Kakashi on the bed and began spoon feeding him.

"My hands aren't broken."

She smiled. "I want to feed you."

He opened his mouth, indicating that he would let her.

After the dishes were washed, Ahri crawled back into bed with him. "Anything special you want to do while you're stuck with me?"

"I can't do it with these bandages on."

"Those stay on until the end of the week."

He closed his eyes. The end of the week might be when she was leaving.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, stroking his toned arm. "I can tell you a story. It's much better than those Icha Icha books."

He laughed. "I'll pretend you didn't say 'better'."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "It'll be better. It will have visual demonstrations."

"Oh?" he asked with a grin.

Ahri carried a large dish full of dumplings out of her apartment. She was going to leave today for home, but didn't want to deprive Kakashi of his favorite meal while she was away.

"Hey Ahri!" It sounded like Shikamaru.

She spun around to see Shikamaru and Temari standing together. "Temari!"

"Wait, wait, wait, you know each other?"

Ahri hugged Temari. "Pretend you didn't know that Shikamaru," she answered.

He huffed; _how troublesome_.

"I can't believe you're actually here for once," Temari joked. "The last time I came, Kankuro came so he could see you. You were out on a scouting mission or something."

Ahri blushed; she had been with Kakashi in the Bird Country. "Yeah. I have horrible timing. Are you here as ambassador?"

Temari nodded her head. "Shikamaru has been assigned as my guide."

_Of course he has_. "That's good. I, I was actually finishing up some things and then I was going home. Whenever you return, stop by the inn. I'll treat you to a meal, on the house." She would have loved to talk to Temari longer, but Temari was not the one she missed most.

Kakashi glanced up as his apartment door opened. Ahri was holding a large dish full of dumplings. "Were you afraid I was going to go hungry?" He walked over to the door, closing it for her.

"A little. And you'll have something to remember me by."

"I don't need dumplings for that." He kissed the top of her head.

"Temari is here."

"Alone?"

"Yes." She turned to Kakashi, passionately kissing him. "That's to last you too. If I leave today, I'll be home on my birthday."

He returned the kiss. "When will you come back?"

She grinned. "When you come get me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." She stroked his unmasked face one last time, and then hurried back to her apartment to grab her things and change. She still wore the 'ANBU' uniform, though slightly larger in the bust area. Instead of wearing her jacket-vest, she slipped the old blue kimono over the uniform, letting it flap open. It was too small for an actual kimono, but it did look like a jacket. She pushed her forehead protector back, using it as a headband like Sakura did. Someone had to be taller than her to identify that she was a Konoha shinobi; she hoped that no one on her trip would be looking for a fight with a Konoha kunoichi. Finally, she lifted her panther pendant up and clasped it around her neck. She slung her new backpack over her shoulders then dashed out to the gates. With a wave to Kotetsu and Izumo, she was out of Konoha.

1 _Shikyaku Henge no Jutsu: _Four-Legged Beast Transformation Technique

2 _Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu:_ Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

3 _Meisaigakure no Jutsu: _Hiding Camouflage Technique (aka Invisibility Jutsu)

4 _Kaze no Yaiba: _Blade of Wind

5 _Meisaigakure no Jutsu: _Invisibility Technique

6 _Suiton: Bakusui Shoha: _Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave

7 _Suiton: Hahonryu: _Water Release: Rapid Crasher

8 _Doton: Doryu Joheki: _Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart

9 _Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu: _Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique

10 _Raiton: Gian no jutsu: _Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu

11 _Neko Magen no jutsu:_ Cat Demonic Illusion Technique

12 _Raiton: Gian no jutsu_: Lightning Release: False Darkness

13 _Hakkesho Kaiten: _Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin

14 _Hakke Rokujūyon Shō_: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms

15 _Kaze no Yaiba:_ Blade of Wind

16 _Chidori: _One Thousand Birds

17 _Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō: _Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms

18 _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu:_ Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu

19 _Kage Buyo: _Shadow of the Dancing Leaf

20 _Nekosenpu Rendan:_ Cat Spiraling Combo

21 _Konoha Reppu: _Leaf Gale

22 _Kage bunshin no jutsu: _Shadow replication technique

23 _Hatake Reppu: _Hatake Gale

24 _Konoha Shofu: _Leaf Rising Wind

25 _Raiton: Raigeki no Yoroi: _Lightning Release: Lightning Armor

26 _Shikyaku Henge no jutsu: _Four-Legged Beast Transformation technique

27 _Hatake Daisenpu: _Hatake Whirlwind

28 _Meisaigakure no jutsu: _Invisibility jutsu

29 _Raiton: Raikyu: _Lightning Release: Lightning Ball

30 _Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu: _Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

31 _Hatake Shofu: _Hatake Rising Wind

32 _Nekosenpu Rendan:_ Cat Spiraling Combo

33 _Shintenshin no jutsu: _Mind Body Switch Technique

34 _Jimen Kaminarinami: _Earth thunderwave

35 _Kage bunshin no jutsu: _Shadow replication technique

36 _Raiton: Raikyu: _Lightning Release: Lightning Ball

37 _Zankūha:_ Decapitating Air Wave

38 _Katon: Ryuka no jutsu: _Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique

39 _Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu: _Fire Release: Great Fireball technique

40 _Chidori: _One Thousand Birds

41 _Raikiri: _Lightning Cutter

42 _Kage bunshin no jutsu: _Shadow replication technique

43 _Raiton: Taju Kage Bunshin no jutsu: _Lightning Release: Massive Shadow Replication technique


	3. Pt 25 The Bridge Between The Clans FA

Part 2.5

_The Bridge between the Clans Filler Arc_

"Bull's-eye!" a young Tenten yelled. She lifted her hands up in triumph.

"I don't believe it." A young Ahri walked up to the post, examining the location of the shuriken on the target. Tenten was right; it was on the bull's-eye. "Okay, I believe it." She pulled the shuriken out of the post. "Someday you'll grow up to be a weapons expert and all my speed will be nothing."

Tenten laughed as she caught the returning shuriken. "You seem to be pretty good with blades. You just can't throw to save your life."

Ahri shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to use my speed to get behind an opponent and stab them myself."

"Well that won't be effective if you're trying to deflect a thrown attack."

"I guess…" she pulled out her own shuriken, "… that I will just have to run and catch the attack." She lifted her hand to throw, but stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Ahri closed her eyes, smelling the air. "It smells like… dog…" Her eyes glanced around the training area of the academy. "Someone here…" Her eyes landed on Kiba, noticing his facial marks. "Him, he's got a dog smell to him." She threw the shuriken at the post, but it purposely missed and landed at Kiba's feet.

He looked down at the shuriken, yanking it out of the ground. "Who threw this?" he growled. His eyes quickly darted the area, spotting Tenten and Ahri holding their shuriken. "You!" He ran toward them.

"Hey!" Tenten yelled at him. "It was an accident!"

He stopped the charge just a few feet shy of Ahri. They glared at each other as his nose twitched. _Neko._

_Inu._

"Oi, Tenten," announced her older brother.

Ahri and Tenten turned to him.

"Let's go home," he said, ruffling her hair.

"Oh, alright. See you tomorrow Ahri-chan!" She skipped off behind him.

Kiba continued to stare at Ahri as she ignored his presence to continue her shuriken practice. _Tenten is right; my aim is terrible and that'll hurt me one day._

"Hey Kiba! Let's go!"

Out of the corner of her eye she noted three boys waving and walking up to the dog-boy. One had a stupid grin and messy blonde hair, another had a bored expression and ponytail, and the final was eating potato chips.

Kiba looked over Ahri one last time then ran off with his friends.

She threw one last shuriken into the post. "Finally," she whispered, "a bull's-eye." She gathered her shuriken and ran home to her father. "Otosan! Otosan!"

He looked up from the piano in the corner with a smile. "Hey there Ahri," he greeted, lifting his daughter into his lap. "Extra training today?"

She nodded. "I trained shuriken throwing with Hagane Tenten. Do you know that she can hit a bull's-eye nearly every time?" Her fingers swept over the piano keys. "I wish I had that skill."

"You have your own skills Ahri. You'll be one of the most powerful Jonin that Konoha has ever seen."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Otosan… if someone smells like a dog… with red marks on their face… is that the Inuzuka clan?"

"Did you meet someone from their clan today?"

She grunted a yes. "He's a year below me I think."

"You know that the Inuzuka are our rivals, right Ahri?"

"Hai! And we cannot loose to them!"

"That's right." He ruffled her hair.

"Faster Ahri," Neji panted. "Hit me with everything you've got."

Ahri panted in front of him. As the top two of their class (they were actually tied for the top), Neji and Ahri constantly sparred to train. "I don't know how much more I got," she admitted.

He lifted his hands into the Gentle Fist style of his clan. "Don't tell me that I win."

She rose into a cat-like stance. "You know that I never let you beat me."

"And I never let you beat me." They smiled at each other. Their intense rivalry at the top of the class had caused them to form a small bond. For Neji, it was the only bond he had after his father died.

"Haha, Iruka-sensei!"

_That voice again._ She turned to see Kiba and the three other boys from before, running out of an open window and toward her and Neji near the academy exit. "What the hell…"

"Baka… they're ditching class."

"Let's teach them a lesson Neji. It'll be a nice break."

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji froze as Neji landed in front of them. "Where do you think you three are going?"

"Uhhh…" Naruto turned to run the opposite direction. "Kiba! Watch out!" he shouted as he spotted Ahri landing behind Kiba.

She threw her pendant's cord around his neck, yanking him toward her.

"Ugh!" Kiba spat out as he was choked. Ahri grinned as he struggled against her cord.

"You four," Neji began, "are destined to be the rejects of your class because you think it is fun to ditch classes and clown around."

"We will not be the rejects!" Naruto yelled.

Kiba growled at Ahri who let him go with a kick.

"You four should get back to class," she said. "Of course, Neji is right; you four are nothing but losers."

Kiba spun around and tackled her. "Shut up!" he yelled as he landed on top of her.

"Get her Kiba!" Naruto yelled.

"Like she'll loose to trash like him," Neji said. _If she never looses to me, there is no way she can loose to him._

Ahri roared and pushed Kiba off of her with all fours. He flew back onto the ground in front of his friends. She bounced to her feet. "Let's go Neji; these four are wasting my time."

Neji and Ahri left the four to scowl at them.

Ahri gathered her shuriken from the target she had set up in the academy's training room. _One hit the bull's eye. Ha, can't wait to tell Tenten._ She slipped the shuriken back into her pouch and marked off her distance from the target.

Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji ran into the training room, laughing and horse playing.

Ahri turned to them with a frown.

"Oh great," Naruto moaned. "It's her."

"Who comes here to actually train?" Shikamaru asked.

Kiba stepped forward. "I want a rematch!" he growled.

"Ha!" she laughed. "Please don't be such a waste of my training time."

Naruto took a step forward with a frown. "If you were a man, I'd hit you."

"And if you were a man, I'd be worried." She turned away from the four.

"Don't make fun of my friends!" Kiba yelled. He charged at her.

Her head turned slightly to see the attack coming; quickly, she side-stepped his charge and began circling him with her fastest speed. Every now and then she would lash at him with her claw-like hands.

Kiba put his arms over his face as he tried to detect where she was. _Damn it! She's too fast!_ "Ugh!" he choked. His hands fell down to the cord around his neck.

Ahri grinned as she pulled Kiba closer to her. "An assassin always catches her prey, just as the cat always catches her mouse." She shoved Kiba at his friends and walked away.

"That girl…" Shikamaru started as the four watched her leave, "she's the most troublesome of them all."

Naruto, Chouji, and Kiba nodded in agreement.

Ahri opened the door to Rin's room. Ever since her aunt had died, her father had refused to come into the room. The pictures, books, and decorations remained exactly as they were before. The only thing changed was the missing bedding. Ahri sighed and turned to Rin's desk where several pictures of her Genin team were posted on the wall. Even more pictures of her and Kakashi were scattered on the desk's top.

She lifted one of these photos, staring at Kakashi. "You were gone," she whispered to the masked figure. "You swore to be there for her, and you were gone. You were always away on missions. Power. Power! That's all this village cares about!" She threw the picture back on the desk. "Train to reach the top!" Her hands clamped over her eyes as she cried. "And you stood there, hiding behind your stupid mask! I hate that mask! Did you not even cry?!" She ran out of the room in anger and pain.

Tenten and Ahri sat at a picnic table, watching Neji train.

"He's so great," Tenten sighed. "He's training to become the most powerful genius of his clan."

Ahri grunted. _That's what we're all supposed to do; train and get more power. That's why I usually give up my breaks to throw shuriken or practice hand-to-hand. What's the point?_

"And aside from being powerful, Neji is the cutest boy in our class. He's probably the cutest boy in the whole academy."

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Ahri asked.

"I can't do that! He's training!" Tenten stammered. "He wouldn't like me if I interrupted his training…" she stopped talking as Neji walked up to the two of them.

"Ahri-san," he said.

Ahri casually looked up at him; Tenten stared at the two in amazement.

"Will you train with me?"

She shook her head. "I have something to do, but Tenten here is free."

Tenten struggled to keep her face from turning red as Neji faced her.

He nodded his approval at Tenten and walked to where he had been training.

Ahri pushed Tenten toward him. "Go, and don't hold back."

Tenten rushed forward to Neji.

Ahri laughed and walked to the academy's training room. She paused when she noticed Kiba training alone. "Odi, odi. Are you actually training?"

Kiba turned to her with a scowl. "I know about the rivalry between our clans. If I loose to you, it'd bring shame to my whole family."

"This is a waste of time for you." She folded her arms. "I'm a year ahead of you."

"Yeah, well with extra work I can pull it off."

Ahri stared intently at his scowling face. _So you'll train, hoping to seek more power. Humph._ "You'll train more?" she repeated. "I'm surprised to see a lazy, loud-mouth like you take initiative." She smiled. "Come with me." She casually walked out of the training room.

Kiba stared at her, surprised by her change of tone. He quickly hurried after her. The two ended up in a grassy field next to a stream.

"You see this place?" she asked him.

He nodded.

"Meet me here everyday after classes, and we'll train. Together."

Kiba's mouth dropped slightly. "Train together?"

"That's what I said." She held her hand out to him. "Is it a deal?"

He shook her hand. "Yeah."

Several training days passed the two by. Neither of their families knew who they were training with, but approved of their advancement.

"Ugh!" Kiba growled as he barely missed a punch thrown at him.

Both of them fell on the grass, panting from exhaustion.

"You almost connected," Kiba said with a hint of relief.

"This is so stupid," she mumbled.

"What is?"

"Training all the time."

"Hey, you're the one who told us first years to quit playing and train!"

"You were happier then, weren't you?" She turned to him.

"Huh?"

Ahri frowned. "When people train constantly, hoping to seek more power, they become unhappy. Like Neji-kun, or me." _Or Kakashi and Rin._

"But if we don't train, we'll never become Genin." He rolled onto his back to stare at the clouds.

Ahri joined him. "I know it's important, and becoming a Genin is important. But I'm tired of doing what's important. I want to just do stuff, because I can." She smiled. "Tomorrow we should go explore the woods around Konoha. It can be, fun training. A scouting mission."

Kiba laughed. "Our first mission."

"I can't believe we got past the gate guards," Kiba whispered. "I think the guy with a bandage over his nose was actually sleeping."

"Yeah, I think they were temporary gate guards. I've never seen them there before." Ahri laughed. "With the way they handle the job, I'm sure they'll never be made official gate guards. Besides, the sleeping one was Tenten's brother. She tells me he's a bigger slacker than Shikamaru."

"Wow. I didn't know that was possible."

They shared a laugh as they ran through the thick trees around the village. "Oh! It's amazing!" Ahri exclaimed as she landed in front of a clump of trees that had fallen together. Because of their branches and the angle in which they had fallen, the trees had formed a hidden cave. "Isn't it great Kiba?" she ran forward, pushing smaller branches aside to reveal the entrance.

"It's just a bunch of trees…"

"No! Can't you see it?" She ducked in and out quickly. "It's a shinobi village! Our own hidden village! It's Kigakure!" She ran to him and grabbed his hand. "And we're the Hokages! Come on!" She pulled him into the cave.

"For a hidden village, it sure is dark." He sniffed. "And I think some animals have died in here."

"We'll just have to clear it out." Ahri spun toward him with a smile. "And we'll bring in supplies. Like blankets, and food. Yeah?"

Kiba smiled. "Of course."

"And Kigakure, it's our little secret. None of your friends can know about it."

"My lips are sealed."

Ahri grinned as she pretend to zip up his lips.

Kiba cut open an orange while Ahri peeled the skin off of another one. "My family is getting together tonight," she announced.

"That sounds like fun," he replied sarcastically.

"It actually is. Everyone gathers around while my father plays piano, and then they all sing."

"They sing?"

She nodded with an orange in her mouth; she smiled, revealing the peel.

Kiba laughed and tossed a seed at her. "That's better than my family."

She pulled the orange out of her mouth. "What do they do?"

"My mom yells, a lot. My sister says it's because she cares so much about us."

"I'm sure it is."

Kiba smiled. "My sister gets yelled at the most; she trains a lot, and sometimes she doesn't come home at night. My mother really explodes at her."

"My mom would too." Ahri smiled and handed him another orange. "At least I know where you get your amazing shouting talent from."

He laughed and took the orange. "So does that mean you have an amazing singing talent?"

"I wouldn't call it amazing, but I sing with my family."

"Could you sing for me?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, what do you want to hear?"

"Whatever you can think of." He tore into his orange.

_Hmmm. Mom just sung something last night. How did it go?_ "While I'm far away from you, my baby. I know it's hard for you, my baby. Because it's hard for me, my baby. And the darkest hour is just before dawn. Each night before you go to bed, my baby. Whisper a little prayer for me, my baby. And then tell all the stars above: this is dedicated to the one I love. Life can never be exactly like we want it to be. I could be satisfied, knowing you love me. There's one thing I want you to do especially for me, and it's something that everybody needs. While I'm far away from you, my baby. Whisper a little prayer for me, my baby. Because it's hard for me, my baby. And the darkest hour is just before dawn. There's one thing I want you to do especially for me, and it's something everybody needs. Each night before you go to bed, my baby. Whisper a little prayer for me, my baby. And then tell all the stars above: this is dedicated to the one I love."

Kiba smiled. "I'm going to remember that song, forever."

Ahri giggled, but quickly stopped. "Someone's out there."

"Yeah, I sense them too."

Both of them crawled to the entrance of the cave and peered out. Inuzuka Hana and Uchiha Itachi were standing a few yards away, having a deep discussion. "That's my sister," Kiba whispered. "Come on." They quickly crawled to the back of the cave.

"Who was that she was with?"

"You haven't heard of Uchiha Itachi?"

Ahri shook her head.

"He's the greatest ninja to ever come out of his clan. Same age as my sister, I think. I know she sometimes trains with him."

"What do you two think you're doing?"

They both looked up to see Hana and Itachi standing over them.

"How did you know where we were?" Kiba asked her.

"Between my sense of smell and Itachi's Sharingan, it wasn't hard." Hana grinned. "So you two have a little hideout, huh?"

Kiba and Ahri nodded.

"Let's go, Hana-chan," Itachi told her.

"Wait…" she sniffed in Ahri's direction. "A Neko?"

"Hana!" Kiba shouted before she could say anything else. "Don't tell mom."

She laughed. "Don't worry; I can keep a secret from mom." She ruffled his hair. "Everyone will just forget today happened."

"Thanks nee-chan."

Hana smiled one last time and left with Itachi.

Again, Ahri sat in Rin's bedroom, staring at the pictures on the wall. Ever since she found Kigakure with Kiba, she was realizing who her aunt really was. She was not a bully like Ahri had become after her death. She was caring, and fragile because of that caring. "I want to be just like you, Aunt Rin." She smiled. "Maybe not completely helpless, but I can't bully anyone anymore. I… I've stopped training with Neji. He only has vengeance in his mind, and I can't deal with someone who seeks power for vengeance. That's why I have Kigakure; it feels like the only place I can be happy anymore." She touched a picture of Rin and her Genin team. "Forgive me Rin."

Ahri cringed as two soon-to-graduate boys blocked her and Kiba's path to the village gates, and subsequently, Kigakure. _I don't want to be here. I hate these people; I hate them all! I just want to be in Kigakure. There, power doesn't matter!_

"Cat Girl! Dog Boy!"

Kiba growled at the two. "I hate these bastards." He looked at Ahri. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I want out of here. I'm tired of these bullying bastards." _I used to be this; God, what would Rin think if she saw me? I need to leave; I need to start over._

"Hey Cat Girl! Dog Boy!"

"More like Dog Breath!"

Ahri cringed behind Kiba. _Just go away._

Kiba saw his friend in pain and growled intensely at the two boys.

"Uh-oh! I think Dog Breath is going to bite!"

Ahri covered her ears. "Stop it!" she shouted.

Kiba charged at the two boys, but he was no match for them. His neck was caught by a rope.

_Oh God! I used to do that to him! Look at the monster I was!_ She covered her face in her hands. _Why did you send these two boys? I apologized Rin; I told you I wouldn't act like that anymore!_

"Haha, Dog Breath just got leashed!" one of the boys laughed.

"Odi, odi, odi, what have we here? A boy on a leash? Weren't you ever told it's not nice to tease those younger than you?"

She parted her fingers to see Kakashi. _Kakashi? I don't understand the message you're sending me Rin._

"These two had it coming!" one of the boys yelled at Kakashi.

"Oh really? So you would agree I have the right to do this?" He put his hands in the Seal of the Tiger. "Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu Ōugi: Sennen Goroshi1!" He sent both of the boys flying.

Kiba laughed at the sight, pulling the rope off of his neck.

"Thank you, Kakashi," she whispered.

"You're welcome Ahri. Why don't I walk you home?"

She smiled sadly. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow Kiba." She followed Kakashi.

"So you're friends with Inuzuka Kiba?" he asked.

"Yes, but don't tell anyone. Apparently, I'm not supposed to be friends with him. The rivalry of clans. And it's best not to anger Dad."

"How are you doing in your training?"

"I'm doing good. I'm tied for the head of my class with Hyuga Neji." Being with Kakashi made her feel happy, almost like she felt before Rin had died. She smiled. _I understand Aunt Rin, I can be happy by just being me._

Ahri twirled around inside Kigakure. The spring air entering the cave made her happy, as well as the flowers and leaves she had braided into her hair. During the late fall and winter, the two had to abandon Kigakure because the whole area was exposed with the loss of leaves. When spring began, the two quickly added new foliage into the emptiness of Kigakure's branches, returning it to its old self.

Kiba lifted an apple from a nearby basket as he watched her dance and sing. _A day at Kigakure offsets months of my mother's yelling._ He bit into the apple with a smile.

"Hey, what's with that?" Ahri asked, stopping her song to land in front of Kiba. She pointed to a nearby platter of dumplings. "You'd rather eat an old apple than my fresh dumplings?"

Kiba swallowed his bite. "I like food I can chew on."

She rolled her eyes. "You Inu-types sure are weird. But this does beat training or running away from teachers, huh?"

He smiled as Ahri fixed a flower that was attempting to fall out of her hair. _She's kinda cute with those flowers._ He quickly leaned forward and kissed her.

Ahri's eyes widened with surprise.

Kiba fell back to see her giggling. "What?"

"I can't believe I let a dog kiss me. I mean, dogs drink out of toilets…"

"And cats lick their own butts."

Ahri laughed. "Dogs lick everyone's everything." She beamed. "This will be our special secret, okay?"

He nodded.

"Now let's go so I can smuggle you into the secret passage before my family gathers."

Kiba smiled. _I finally get to see one of these gatherings!_ They rushed to Ahri's house and entered the secret passage without anyone detecting them. "This is pretty cool," he whispered.

"Yeah, follow me. There's a lookout point over the main rooms." She crawled down the tunnel but stopped as she heard yelling.

Kiba sat next to her and peered through the small peep hole.

Kakashi was knelt on a tatami mat while Ahri's father circled him, yelling intensely. "I don't want you around anymore, Hatake Kakashi! Your promises of protection mean nothing to me! Your words are all lies!"

Ahri's mouth opened. _Kakashi is just sitting there calmly while otosan is going crazy. How is he able to remain so calm?_

"I want you out of here, forever!"

Kiba slipped slightly and his hand fell over Ahri's.

Ahri smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. With the end of her father's yelling, she turned to peer down into the room. Kakashi was standing while her father stood with his back to him. Kakashi bowed to Kin.

"I'll protect her with or without your blessing." He walked to the door, staring at the spot Kiba and Ahri were hiding.

_Can he see us?_ Ahri felt awkward under his stare and crawled down the passage away from Kiba.

"Rrruff! Ruff!"

Ahri and Kiba laughed as his new puppy rolled onto his back.

"He's great Kiba," Ahri sighed, tickling Akamaru's exposed belly. He wiggled under her touch. "And he's so fuzzy!"

Kiba laughed as he joined Ahri in tickling Akamaru. "Now Akamaru, this is our secret hideout, alright?"

"Ruff! Ruff!"

"Alright." He ruffled the puppy's furry belly.

A noise outside made Akamaru glance up.

Ahri grabbed a kunai from her strap. "I'll go see what it is." She crawled out and found Kakashi kneeling in front of the entrance.

"Konichiwa!" he greeted her.

"Uncle Kakashi?" she whispered.

"Sorry to call you out here," he held up a broken twig, "but I wasn't sure if it was a 'members only' cave."

She smiled and slipped the kunai into her strap.

Kakashi looked down at the strap with a grin. "That's a good kunai strap you have there. It's leather, so it'll last. And Velcro holders to secure the kunai when not needed, but will easily let you grab the kunai if needed."

Ahri laughed. "Are you doing commercials for kunai straps now?"

"No." He blushed. "I just know that strap well; I became a Jonin with that strap." He lifted his hand innocently. "I gave you that strap when you were born."

"You did?" she grinned.

"I wanted it to help you become a great kunoichi." He smiled and cleared his throat. "The reason I came, Ahri, is I know you heard your father and I arguing the other day."

_So he did see me._

"But no matter what he says, I'll still protect you. And I'll be realistic with you, I can't watch over you when I'm on a mission."

"I know."

"So you need to be extra careful when I'm gone." He pulled his ANBU mask out from a pouch.

"You have a mission now?" she asked, staring at the mask.

"It's a top secret mission, but I'll be back soon." He reached up and ruffled her hair. "Stay safe, Ahri." He pulled his mask on and left.

Ahri slipped back into the cave.

"What was it?" Kiba asked her.

"Kakashi." She smiled and scratched Akamaru behind the ear. "I think I'm going to go home."

"Alright. See you tomorrow?"

"Of course, same time and place!" She kissed his cheek and ran out of the cave to her house. "Otosan!" she called as she entered the house.

Her father walked down the stairs. "I'm glad you're here Ahri. I was about to leave to see the Hokage."

"The Hokage?"

"I want you to come with me." He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Otosan, I just saw Kakashi…" She paused as she saw her mother walk by with a box. "What? Why does mom have a box? What's going on in here?"

Kin smiled. "She's just cleaning up the house." He led her out the door. "You've never met the Hokage, have you?"

She shook her head.

Kiba and Akamaru sat outside the entrance of Kigakure. Four hours had passed since his usual meeting time with Ahri. "She's never late Akamaru. Where could she be?"

1 _Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu Ōugi: Sennen Goroshi: _Hidden Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: A Thousand Years of Death


	4. Pt 3 The Rescue Gaara Arc

PART THREE

_The Rescue Gaara Arc_

* * *

Neko Kin sat at the smaller table of his inn, staring at the cup of tea that his wife had served him. With Ahri gone, he started feeling older than he should. Hitomi sat next to him. "I've heard that she's training with Hatake Kakashi," Hitomi told her husband reassuringly, placing her hand over his. "He did swear to protect her."

"Like how he protected Rin?"

Hitomi sighed. Even though Kakashi had suffered over Rin's death, vowing to protect Ahri because of this, Kin had not forgiven him. "If something had happened to her, don't you think we would have felt it?"

Kin's eyes closed partially. "Today is her seventeenth birthday. My little girl is turning into a woman. I'm not even there to hold her back."

The two stopped talking as a figure stepped through the open door; the wind swept the person's hair and blue jacket forward, covering his or her face.

_That jacket_, thought Hitomi_, is that, Ahri's old kimono?_ Hitomi stood expectantly. The face turned, the wind still blowing hair before it. But there was no mistaking the eyes that pierced through the blackness. "Ahri!" shouted Hitomi, rushing to hug her daughter.

Ahri laughed as she hugged her mother and father. "I've missed you so much," Ahri announced, her eyes watering.

"We've missed you too," Hitomi said. "Oh, there's so much for you to tell us. We heard Hatake Kakashi was your sensei."

"You heard that did you?" she asked with a laugh. Her parents motioned for her to sit at the table. Her father sat back down while her mother began preparing a meal for her. "He wasn't quite my sensei; he was my teammate. We were Team Hatake." She grinned. "I had to take a new identity when I became a Genin. As of now, I am _Hatake_ Ahri, and I turn 20 in a few days. I had to play the role of an eighteen year old when I was still fifteen. I guess you raised a daughter who could act mature."

Her dad silently stared at her. "Hatake Ahri?"

"It was convenient; I played a long lost cousin of Kakashi, which made it seem natural when I was paired with him. Only Tsunade and her assistant Shizune, Kakashi, and Kiba knew…"

"Kiba?" Her dad's fists pounded the table. "Inuzuka Kiba?"

There was one point in time that she would have crumbled when her father became this outraged. _Not anymore._ "Yes," she replied calmly. "He was my best friend, and he recognized my scent. It's flattering, after all those years."

Her mother handed her tea, as Ahri related her missions, Chuunin exam, promotion to Jonin, everything but her relationship with Kakashi.

Every time she mentioned Kakashi, her father would make a disapproving noise. _Is he angry with Kakashi for Rin's death?_

Ahri awoke with a start on her second night at home. The pendant on her chest was blazing hot. _For it to get this hot…_ Kankuro had to be in trouble. She quickly dressed into her black outfit, strapping the kunai holders to her legs, and securing her little black pouch behind her. Fastening the forehead protector securely around her, she flew down to her parents' 

bedroom. She hurriedly tapped on their door while shouting, "I have to go to Sunagakure. Something is wrong there."

"Ahri…" her father started, but she was already out the door.

_Shikyaku Henge no Jutsu!_1 Her body fell to all fours, running through the swirling desert sand. The sun began to rise as she ran; while she had increased her top speed significantly during the past two years, her body felt like she could not go fast enough. By the time she could reach the village… _it might be too late._

As the sun brightened, she returned to her human mode. Her human sight was better in the daylight than her panther eyes. In the distance she could see a large white bird flying away, another person walking toward it, and even further away… something on the ground. A lot of things on the ground. The two still moving were walking toward the northern River Country. She decided to investigate what was lying on the ground, closer to the village. She changed her direction, hoping to avoid (for now) the moving objects.

Her stomach lurched as she made out one of the objects on the ground; it was Sanshouo. _If he is lying in pieces on the ground, that means…_ She fell to all fours again, hoping to gain more speed that way.

Kankuro struggled to keep his eyes open; Sasori's poison was affecting him quickly. As his eyes closed, he thought he saw a black panther running up to him. "Ahri?" he called out with his last breath; his eyes closed.

"Kankuro!" Ahri yelled, dropping to his side. She quickly swooped him into her arms, turning to the voices heading toward her from the village. "Kankuro!" she called again.

"Kankuro!" shouted the voices. They were shinobi from the village. "Hey you!" one called out to her menacingly.

"Grab his puppets!" Ahri ordered. She lifted Kankuro over her shoulders and ran with full speed to the village's hospital.

Kakashi gazed at the hawk flying overhead; it looked like the Sand's fastest flyer. He sighed; it probably was not. He was just worried that something would happen while Ahri was away from him.

"Hey! Kaka-sensei!"

It was Naruto.

He grinned; even Ahri's training hadn't prepared him for the stunt Naruto had pulled in their last match. _You would think only depraved people would be addicted to the Icha Icha books, but I can't bring myself to stop reading them._

"It's been so long since I went on a mission! I'm psyched!" Naruto exclaimed.

The two were joined by Sakura as they made their way to the Hokage's office. A woman went running past them. "Move it! Out of the way!"

As Naruto yelled, Kakashi watched her run. _They sent for a decoder. That means that messenger bird earlier was Takamaru. Something's wrong at the Sand. Ahri…_

They entered Tsunade's office and received their mission. It was a C-rank. He couldn't pay attention; _what is happening in the sand?_ As Tsunade yelled at Naruto, the decoder ran in. "There's an emergency message from the sand!"

"An emergency?" asked Tsunade.

"Here is the decoded message." She handed it to Tsunade.

Kakashi gulped. _Please don't let Ahri be involved in any of this._

Tsunade read over the message.

"What happened?" asked Naruto.

She looked up. "The Hidden Village of Sand's Kazekage has been kidnapped by Akatsuki."

Kakashi cringed. _Ahri, tell me you stayed with your parents longer and did not go to visit your friends._

"Tsunade-sama! Don't tell me you're planning to send Team Kakashi!" shouted Shizune.

Tsunade leaned back. "I have no other choice. Ahri left… this is Kakashi's new team."

Naruto frowned and looked at Kakashi. "Ahri?"

Kakashi ignored him. "Actually, Ahri might be involved in this as well. I have a feeling she went to go see Gaara when she went home."

Tsunade nodded her head. "Then it's settled. If Ahri is involved, add her to the team as you see fit, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded his head. _Please be alive, Ahri_.

Ahri paced in the hall in front of the emergency room. The medical ninja were unable to solve how to help Kankuro. For the brief moment he regained consciousness, he was only able to whisper something to Baki, causing Baki to leave. She never even had a chance to talk to him.

And to make matters worse, Gaara had been kidnapped. He was with the white bird she had seen.

She sat down on the bench in front of the doors. If she had gone after the bird, she may not have saved Gaara. Kankuro, well, the rescue team could have saved Kankuro. She should have gone after the bird. She should have saved her friend. Upset, she turned into her panther form and hurried down the hall. Only a run could calm her down now, until Baki returned with the help he promised.

Kakashi leaned his head against the cave that sheltered his team and Temari from the sandstorm. The team had happened to run across Temari as she was heading back home. She quickly joined them when she found out that Gaara had been kidnapped.

"How did you know about this cave, Temari-sama?" Sakura asked, trying to make everyone calm down some.

"My brother, Kankuro, uses it as a training area with his friend." She reached behind her, wiping the sand off the cave wall. Chiseled into the stone were the names _Kankuro and Ahri_. "It's about halfway between her house and the village."

Kakashi opened his eye. "Halfway? We've already passed Ahri's house?"

"It was further south, out of the way. I'm sure she wasn't even there. If something was happening in the village, Ahri would have run to it."

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura started. "Is this Hatake Ahri?"

"Hatake Ahri?" Temari asked.

"She's the same." Kakashi turned to Temari. "She's the same," he repeated.

Temari remained silent.

"Why was she out here?" Sakura asked.

"Who is this Ahri you keep talking about?" yelled Naruto. "First Granny Tsunade said she was better than me and Sakura and now she's practicing in caves with your brother?"

Kakashi closed his eyes. "Tsunade never said Ahri was better than you. I think while you were away, she just became used to me pairing up with her."

"Who is she? Why haven't I heard of her?"

"She's Kakashi's cousin!" Sakura gleefully stated. "He had a relative after all."

"Hopefully I still do."

Ahri sat in the corner of the emergency room, still in panther form. In this form she was able to keep up with everything everyone was saying. Baki had brought the two elders to help Kankuro, but even Chiyo could not save him. A team from Konoha was coming, but Ahri could not help but be nervous. The only person from Konoha that she could think of was Tsunade, but a Hokage would not be able to come here. Footsteps from down the hall forced her to look up. _The shinobi from Konoha?_

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura stood in the doorway, looking at Kankuro.

_Kakashi!_

Chiyo turned around with a yell. "The White Fang!" she roared. "Prepare to die!" The old lady jumped up to attack Kakashi.

In a flash and with a roar, Ahri leapt into her path, grabbing Chiyo's flying fist by instantaneously transforming into her human form.

Naruto, who had been about to block Chiyo, took a step backwards. Ahri stood in front of him, her hair swaying from the speed she used. "Who…" started Naruto.

Chiyo stared intently at Ahri. Ahri's cat eyes stared at her coldly in return.

"Nii-chan, I think the panther girl is right. Look closely, he's not the White Fang. Remember? The White Fang died years ago."

Chiyo laughed, and Ahri let go of her fist. "Gotcha! I was just acting senile."

Kakashi let out his breath. "It's good to see you alive, Ahri."

She turned to face him, but Kankuro's heaving made her rush to his side along with Temari. Sakura quickly took charge, ordering everyone to step back.

Kakashi sat with Naruto and the elders on the bench outside the room while Sakura extracted the poison from Kankuro's body. "So that's Ahri…" Naruto said.

"That's Ahri."

"Hey, Kaka-sensei, who's the White Fang?"

Kakashi turned to him with a smile, placing a nervous hand behind his head. "The White Fang… well he was kind of. I guess you could say he was my father."

Chiyo turned to him with a cold stare.

Kakashi chuckled nervously. He never knew an old woman like that could move so fast; luckily, Ahri could move faster.

Naruto turned back to watch Sakura, amazed. "You know, that Ahri moved as fast as Fuzzy Eyebrows."

"That's because…" Kakashi stopped. He wanted to say 'that's because she's amazing', but he couldn't say that to Naruto.

Ahri stood next to Temari as Sakura shined a flashlight into Kankuro's eyes. All Temari could do was hold on to Ahri's arm, squeezing it to death. Ahri could not even feel the pain. Her body felt numb as she saw Kankuro lying on the bed in pain. All these years of being with Kakashi… Kankuro had waited for her to return.

"His heart muscles are being destroyed as we speak, so it could stop functioning any time now."

Ahri froze. _He… he could die in front of her._ Would her powers be able to bring him back like they had for Kakashi? It had only worked thanks to the spirits, and her love for Kakashi. She stared at Kankuro's face covered in agony… but didn't she love Kankuro too? She had never told him, but seeing him again had brought back those feelings. Her eyes turned to Kakashi in the hallway. Having these two before her… it was the worst possible time for her heart to be split in two.

"Please hold him down," Sakura ordered as she sat a bowl of water next to her. The medical ninja, Baki, and Temari did as told, leaving Ahri to stand frozen, watching. Kankuro struggled against her technique. "Hold him down!" Sakura ordered everyone again. Ahri jumped in this time, pressing against his shoulders with Temari. If he struggled during Sakura's operation, it may cause him more problems. Her mouth dropped as Sakura pulled the water out with the poison inside.

Ahri was amazed at Sakura's ability. All the time she had spent in Konoha, she had always viewed Sakura as the annoying messenger-girl of the Hokage who always interrupted her and Kakashi, forcing them to hurriedly hide their secret. Now she was saving Kankuro's life.

She closed her eyes. _Adigato, Sakura._

"His life is no longer in danger."

Ahri released her grip on Kankuro's shoulders. The painful part was over.

"You're awesome Sakura-chan!" Naruto claimed, walking into the room.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"We can't relax just now. There are still trace amounts of poison flowing through his system. We need to make an antidote."

Ahri knelt down next to Kankuro, stroking his arm as Sakura discussed the antidote with the medic-nin. She stepped back to let them work on Kankuro's body and helped Temari to her feet.

"You're just like that slug-girl. I never thought they'd send a woman like you to help us."

"Yes, Tsunade-same is my Master. We're all here on her orders."

Ahri walked over to Kakashi, who had stayed in the background. "So your vacation was interrupted," he said casually, holding his new book at his side.

"Well it wasn't the reunion I was expecting. My father wasn't too thrilled about my old teammate either." She turned to look at Kakashi with a smile. "Or other things for that matter."

His face turned to her in horror. "Other things?"

"Heh, scared you." She smiled. "That's what you get for reading those stupid books at a time like this. Is that a new one?"

He lifted it up with a smile. "It's great… though it's missing a few things that my last 'story' had."

Naruto turned to the two. "Huh?"

They stopped talking and turned to him. Kakashi grinned. "Some things are just too hard to explain Naruto."

Naruto frowned.

Ahri walked back to Kankuro's side now that the medical team had him situated. "I'm so sorry Kankuro," she whispered in his ear. "I should have been there sooner, and together we would have won." She stroked his hair while Baki discussed the situation with Kakashi. She wanted to listen, to make sure she was informed, but all she could focus on was Kankuro's face.

Finally he stirred.

"Baki-sama!" she called.

He turned to her.

"He's regained consciousness."

Kankuro opened his eyes, viewing Baki, Naruto, and Kakashi first, and then slowly drifting over to Temari. _Temari is back already?_ He finally felt a hand on his hair. His eyes drifted up to see Ahri standing over him. _Is that Ahri?_ She had grown, her hair was longer, her eyes colder… colder in a mysterious way. "Ahri?" he whispered.

She knelt down next to him. "It's me Kankuro."

He reached his hand up to her face; it was shaking terribly.

Kakashi clinched his teeth as Ahri held Kankuro's hand over her cheek. "Take me to where Kankuro fought," he gritted to Baki.

Baki turned to him.

Kakashi quickly changed his tone. "I may not look it, but I'm an excellent tracker."

"There's no need to do that," Kankuro said. He slowly sat up, with Ahri's assistance. "My puppets have been recovered, right? There were two enemies. One of them took Gaara. Track Gaara's scent, and you'll find them. And in case they split up, I can give you the other guy's scent." He pointed to Karasu's hand, and it opened, revealing a piece of cloth inside. "I had Karasu's hand take a piece of his mask."

Kakashi walked to the puppet and picked up the cloth. "You still put up a fight even when you were down." _No wonder she loved you first._ "Nothing less from a Sand shinobi."

Ahri smiled as Kankuro leaned against her body. Kankuro smiled at Kakashi before grabbing at his stomach again.

"Kankuro, are you okay?" Temari asked.

The spasm stopped, and his head once again rested on Ahri's stomach. "Ahri," he whispered. She slipped down so his head was leaning against her own. "Help me find Gaara, Ahri."

"I will Kankuro. Kakashi will track them down."

"Ahri…" He turned to her and kissed her cheek. "I love you Ahri."

She closed her eyes and stroked his head. "Lie back down Kankuro. There is still some poison in your body." She kissed his forehead and helped him back down on the bed.

Kakashi closed his eyes and walked to the hallway. _She didn't say 'I love you' in return. Am I the only one who had noticed? Everyone's concern for his health was a concealment for circumventing what he said._ "Kuchiyose no justu!" he called out, striking the ground with his hand. His ninja dogs appeared before him.

Ahri turned to face Kakashi. He was doing what she should have done; track down the attackers. All she could do was worry about Kankuro, and now… and now Kankuro loved her. _Why did you have to say that?_

Kankuro forced himself to drink the antidote Sakura had made him. It tasted awful. He glanced around the room. _Naruto… Temari… Sakura… Baki… where is Ahri and Kakashi?_ He grimaced. _Maybe she is helping him track Gaara_.

In between coughs he asked Temari, "Where did Ahri go?"

Naruto looked around and noticed Kakashi and Ahri were gone. He grinned. "She's probably with Kakashi."

Sakura nodded. "They used to be teammates. Team Hatake."

"I've heard," Kankuro said. "When did they _stop_ being teammates?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "Just recently. She took a vacation to come here, apparently. Though it looks like her vacation has been interrupted."

Kankuro closed his eyes. He finally had Ahri back home and now everything was going wrong.

Naruto smiled. "Granny Tsunade said that Ahri was to join our team to help you out! If she's as good as everyone says she is, we'll have Gaara back in no time." He held a thumbs up to Kankuro and Temari.

Kankuro grinned. _Naruto-kun. You and Ahri are the closest friends Gaara has outside the family. Don't let him down._

"Kakashi!" Ahri whispered as he pressed her against the wall in his temporary room. "To do this here of all places, after Kankuro…"

He held his arm up against the wall, grabbing her waist. He brought his mouth up to her ear and whispered: "He told you he loved you; you told him to lie back down. Don't try to make me believe you still care for Kankuro."

She sighed. He thought she was still trying to make him jealous. "I couldn't say it with everyone around."

Kakashi pulled back slightly, glaring at her. "Say what?"

"I don't know…" She turned her head away from his glare. "I… seeing Kankuro dying on that bed for the past three days… it's been driving me mad. And then _you_ show up. Karma is a twisted little thing."

Kakashi walked away from her; Ahri continued to lean against the wall. "I was ordered to have you join my team when I arrived here. I don't think that's a wise decision."

"What?" she yelled. "Just because… just because you're jealous of Kankuro?"

"This is different. I was jealous of Iruka, of Kiba. But with Kankuro… your eyes light up. With Kankuro, you never look like you want to cry."

"Kakashi!"

"I'll make you part of my team. But I'm ordering you to stay here with Kankuro."

"Gaara needs me too!"

The door to the room opened with Naruto standing in the doorway. He froze as he noticed the scene: Kakashi stood in the middle of the room, his arms folded, his face with a scowl; Ahri stood against the far wall, hands clinched at her side, her face also scowled. _I'd hate to see what the two look like with their masks off right now_.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto. "That's an order Ahri."

She silently stormed past Naruto to go to Kankuro's hospital room.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

"I ordered her to stay here with Kankuro while we go after Gaara."

"What?!" Naruto yelled. "If she's as good as everyone says she is… shouldn't we take her?"

"Her mind isn't in the right place for the mission." Kakashi sat on his bed and pulled out his new book. "She would only slow us down."

Naruto scowled at his sensei as he sat on his own bed.

Kankuro stared at the ceiling of the empty hospital room. Everyone had left for the night, hoping to gain their energy to search for Gaara. He would be left behind, pitifully. The door to the room opened, and he smiled as Ahri entered. "Ahri…"

"Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"Much better."

"That's good." She sat on the edge of his bed. Unlike the Konoha hospital beds, those in Sunagakure were at least queen-sized. She couldn't really understand why, but it was useful for now. "I'm sorry I didn't arrive sooner."

He reached up and stroked her back. "I'm just glad you arrived."

She turned to him, holding his hand in her lap. "I found you in the desert. I didn't arrive with Kakashi's team. If I would have… I felt your pain. I guess I felt it when Gaara was taken. I just couldn't get here fast enough." She closed her eyes. "For all my speed, it wasn't good enough for you."

"Ahri… you'll get Gaara back."

She leaned over Kankuro, stroking the hair out of his eyes. "Everyone will get Gaara back."

He lifted his shaky hands behind her head and pulled her in closer. "I'll say it again, I love you Ahri."

"I don't need those words Kankuro," she whispered. "Words just make things…" Without finishing her statement, she bent down and kissed him. _Fuck you Kakashi_, was all she could think as she kissed Kankuro's bandaged body.

Kakashi could not fall asleep as he stared at the ceiling, listening to Naruto's snoring. Going into this relationship with Ahri had been a mistake. He knew from the beginning that he would be unable to keep her to himself; she already had a history with Kankuro. Now they were placed in a situation that needed answers. Even with the mission to retrieve Gaara putting the answer off, it still remained. If she chose Kankuro, no one would be the wiser except for him and her. If she chose Kakashi, she could never tell Kankuro or anyone else why. They would hide their secrets away, taking scouting missions in the Bird Country so that no one would know what they had been up to. Even during their free time they would be unable to touch each other unless they were lucky enough to be alone.

Her logical choice was obvious: _Kankuro_.

He sighed and closed his eyes. _Why can't life be as simple as a book?_ _Boy meets girl, you know from the beginning that they're going to end up together, no questions asked._

Ahri pulled her clothes back on; Kankuro was exhausted, barely able to keep his eyes open. "That didn't hurt, did it?" she asked.

"No… it was just, you've changed while you've been away." He smiled. "You were once so timid. You were my little mouse."

She grinned. "And now you're mine."

He laughed. "It's only because I'm in a hospital bed. If I were a hundred percent, you'd know it."

"I just hope I was able to ease the pain." She bent back over him and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back in the morning."

She walked back to the rooms Konoha had been given; she was supposed to share with Sakura, but really had no desire to walk in and possibly wake her up. Maybe she could just use her merge technique…

Ahri paused as she turned down the hall and saw Kakashi sitting outside his room's door. He had his head against the door, one knee propped up with his arm resting over it. He was wearing an outfit similar to her own 'ANBU' uniform; she wondered if it was part of his old 

uniform. Either way, she had seen him wear this before as pajamas when she first started living with him. _During a much simpler time._

He turned his head toward her, his right eye half-open. "Shouldn't you be asleep in your room?" he asked.

She leaned against the wall where she stood. "Shouldn't you?"

"Naruto snores."

"I was… out… and didn't want to wake Sakura."

"You were at the hospital."

"You ordered me to stay with him. I had to confirm where they put him."

"It took a long time to confirm."

She shrugged her shoulders. "You were the one who ordered me to stay with Kankuro. Looks like you made all the decisions for me."

"You would have stayed with Kankuro anyway. I was just a two-year joy ride."

"If that's how you feel, maybe I should have just let you die back then."

He shrugged his shoulders. "That happens to a ninja on a mission."

Ahri flickered to him and slapped him in the face.

His hand instantly shot up, grabbing her wrist. "Don't _ever_ slap me again."

"Don't ever say that again."

"It's true."

"So Obito died for nothing?"

He threw her down on the floor and leaned over her. "Don't ever act like you know Obito!" he growled.

"I have to if you're going to act like you've forgotten him!" she growled back.

Kakashi used his full weight to hold her arms down and pin her legs with his own. "This isn't even about that. This is about you, and your desire for those hollow relationships. When you were with me, I thought you were over that."

"There's nothing hollow about this. It's just a question that I don't know the answer to yet. It would be like… if Rin were still here; would you still be with me?"

He narrowed his eyes; she hadn't realized that he was using his Sharingan on her. "This is nothing like that."

"This is exactly like that. Unless… you're saying you're with me because I remind you of Rin."

Kakashi pressed down harder.

"That is, isn't it? You _are_ a pervert Kakashi. My first impression of you was the right one."

Sakura's door opened, causing Kakashi to look up. Ahri used the distraction to merge with the floor. "Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked with a yawn. He looked up at Sakura and then back to where Ahri had been. She was gone.

"Damn it!" he growled, smacking the floor with his hand.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked again, worried. "I heard voices… and you're on the ground…"

"It was nothing Sakura; go back to sleep."

"But…"

"You should go back to sleep."

She walked back into her room. Kakashi took off down the hall, using his Sharingan in hopes of finding any trace of Ahri. It was at times like this he wished he had been born a Hyuga.

Ahri sat on top of the building's roof, wiping the tears off of her face. Finding out the truth… that he only was with her because she reminded him of Rin… hit her hard. _Harder than I had expected._ But it answered her question; she would stay with Kankuro. She sighed at the thought. Her relationship with Kankuro had been 'exploratory' at best. When she was first with him, she felt like she loved him. Looking back, she realized she just wanted to know how it felt. It would have been the perfect plot for a story book romance; but the first love was never the final love. Anyone knew that.

But then there was Kakashi. One look into that cold gray eye of his and she knew she was in love. She was awed by him, like she had been with Zabuza. Her talents were respected by him, like Kankuro did. She was given pleasure by him, like Kiba did. Everything she craved from others was all mixed into Kakashi. _But obviously, it was just a two-year long joy ride. I was just a body that he saw Rin with; he was using me like I used Kiba that one night. But his one night stand… was two years._

She crawled to the edge of the building, looking down at the street below. These village streets… for a year she had been content, running through the streets making deliveries. She closed her eyes, hoping to again feel the eagerness of making a run to the village. Of giving Gaara his first egg. She smiled. _Gaara loves eggs._

"Ahri."

She turned around to face Kakashi. _How did you know I would be here?_

"Do you remember the night that we camped in the graveyard, before I sealed your power? When I told you that you were possessed all night long?"

She turned back to look at the street below.

"Rin possessed you that night. You kissed me that night, with Rin as your guide." He walked up to her and knelt by her side. "Even though it wasn't you controlling yourself, I still felt you on me. I felt your heat against my face. I didn't want Rin to leave you because I was afraid I wouldn't feel you anymore."

"So… you just kept imagining I was her after that?" she asked angrily.

"No. After that night I was able to see you for who you truly were. And I was ashamed because of how I was seeing you. You're so young, and I…"

"You're a pervert."

"I wouldn't say that, though you're right. But I was also your mentor. Everything I saw in you was wrong, but you never let off me. And now, here we are." She closed her eyes and tried to turn her face away from him. He reached out, turning her face back towards him. "I told you not to close your eyes like that."

"What did you see in me?" she whispered.

He wiped a small tear off her face. "What I still see in you: a beautiful woman who's able to push through the worst situations, who's stubborn and sarcastic; a woman who's blossoming and letting me pick her." He grinned. "Sorry for the terrible analogy."

She gave a small giggle and hugged him. "You really should go back to sleep. You have to track down Gaara for me."

"Just… answer me this. Why were you so intent on me if there was a possibility that you still had feelings for Kankuro?"

She smiled. "Everything I craved from others, I found in you."

Kankuro opened his eyes.

"They know where Gaara is?"

His eyes opened wider at the sound of Temari's voice.

"Yes, the group from Konoha will be departing soon."

"Got it. I need to make a few arrangements, but I'll be going too."

"Temari…" Kankuro called out while sitting up. He was sore from his time the previous night with Ahri; even though she had been the one in control.

"Kankuro! Don't force yourself. Go back to sleep. I promise I'll bring Gaara back."

He smiled. Temari turned and ran off to make preparations.

"Kankuro…" Ahri entered the room.

"Ahri!" He coughed and grabbed his stomach.

"Ah, don't force yourself. Sakura told me to make sure that you wouldn't force yourself." She grinned. "Maybe I shouldn't have forced you last night"

He smiled. "There was nothing forcing about that. Shouldn't you be getting ready to leave with the other Konoha…?"

She shook her. "I've been assigned to you, to make sure you don't do something stupid like go after Gaara while your body is still regenerating cells. Apparently, I'm the only one who can control a puppet master."

He grinned. "Apparently."

Naruto and Sakura walked to Kakashi in the streets of the village. "As soon as the Sand finishes their preparations, we'll be leaving with them to retrieve Gaara."

Sakura glanced around. "What about Ahri-sama?"

"She's to stay here and watch Kankuro for you. If Temari's leaving, Ahri will be the only one who can keep him from doing something stupid."

"Sorry for making you wait."

They turned to face Temari and her team.

"So we're all here?" Kakashi asked. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Baki jumped down. "Temari, you and your team will remain here on border patrol duty."

"Are you kidding me?"

"It's an order from our superiors."

Kakashi sighed on the inside. Without Temari's group, maybe he should have Ahri join them, even if Team Gai was sent as backup.

"Gaara is our Kazekage! They have to send someone from the Sand!"

"I'll go!"

He hoped that it was Ahri saying that; but Ahri never sounded like a ninety year old woman. He glanced up and saw Chiyo jumping down.

"I've wanted to give my cute grandson some love for a while now…"

Ahri sat on the edge of Kankuro's bed, trying to put aside any feelings of anger for not being able to save Gaara. If Kankuro felt those feelings, his would only become one hundred times worse. She had to put her faith in Kakashi.

"Would you like me to massage your legs? I want you to be able to walk after this."

He grinned. "I would love for you to massage my legs."

She started massaging his legs, hoping to pass the time. _It seemed like three days since everyone departed, how can it still be the same day?_

"Kankuro," she said, while massaging, "I should probably tell you…"

He glanced at her.

"I stayed because it's my mission." She couldn't find the right words.

"I understand."

_No you don't. You think this is about Gaara._

"Do you think you could find me some real food?" he asked.

"Do your legs feel… normal?"

"A little tingly, but not numb. Thank you for that."

She smiled. "I'll be back with your food."

After she left, Kankuro stood and began walking to the exit. Right as he began to fall, Baki walked in, catching him. "You're in no condition to walk! Go lie down! Where's Ahri?"

"I'm fine!" he yelled, shoving Baki away. "I can handle walking."

Ahri stood in the doorway, her invisibility jutsu cloaking her presence. She had to grin; did Kankuro really believe that she would fall for that trick of his? He followed Baki to the council chamber; she quietly followed behind.

Kankuro sat down in Gaara's former seat, and she quietly stood behind. If her mission was to protect Kankuro from something stupid, this was the best place to be. She knew his hot-headed temper, and the council usually made it burn worse.

"As long as we don't know where Kazekage-sama is, we don't know when we might be attacked again. We should appoint a new Kazekage immediately, for the safety of the village."

Kankuro scowled as Baki argued, "No one has stated definitively that Gaara isn't coming back."

The councilman continued, "Maybe, but the truth is not having Gaara back would be good for the village."

"What are you trying to say?" Baki asked.

Ahri clinched her teeth. She was picturing the little boy sitting on the sidewalk learning about eggs for the first time; he had been alone, everyone in the village called him a monster. It was the village that had turned him into one.

"Gaara is an unstable monster with the Ichibi in his body. I thought it would be easier to control him by making him Kazekage, but he could lose it at any given moment. He is definitely a problem. Originally, because Gaara was so intertwined with Shukaku's presence, he was considered an unstable experiment."

Ahri could feel her pendant burning. She glanced down at Kankuro. He looked like he was ready to explode. She understood. Her inner-panther wanted to rip the guy's throat out.

"His father, the Fourth Kazekage, considered the experiment a failure and ordered his assassination. While some of the younger ones who don't know the truth admire him, most of the villagers fear him and don't expect him to accomplish anything."

Kankuro rose from his chair. _I'm glad you're doing this Kankuro, I can't listen to it anymore_. She followed him over to the councilman.

He grabbed the guy's shirt and pulled him forward. "Keep going, I dare you! Badmouth him again, and I'll kick your ass!"

"Knock it off Kankuro! We're in front of the Kazekages' statues. This is a holy place!" yelled Baki.

"Kankuro, your anger is understandable, but there is some logic in what he says." Ahri turned to the elder, Chiyo's brother. "The fact is, this problem has little to do with whether or not Gaara is trustworthy."

Kankuro let go of the councilman's shirt, but nearly fell backward. Ahri rushed forward and caught him, causing her jutsu to fade. "I should have known you'd be with me," Kankuro whispered.

"You're too stupid to come alone," she replied. She helped him back to his seat.

The councilman who had bad-mouthed Gaara was about to protest her presence, but decided against it. She silently stared at him as Kankuro began arguing with another councilman about sending Temari out on border patrol.

"What are you saying?" shouted another councilman. "I was originally planning to send you on that mission! But you were poisoned!"

Ahri's anger rose inside of her; what did politicians know about his fight? Kankuro had told her all the details; she had been proud of how long he had lasted. Kankuro's anger made the pendant burn again, but this time she had to let out something. She didn't realize that it was going to sound like a panther. From deep inside her throat, a growl arose that developed into a full roar.

Everyone around the table turned to her as she roared. She fell to one knee, her hand hit the floor.

"Ahri…" Kankuro started, his boiling anger rising higher at the sight of her in pain.

"If you won't allow Temari to go, and Kankuro cannot go… you just sent my teammates to their deaths. They're going after the Akatsuki. One member of that group is enough to kill several great ninja. You sent one great ninja, a ninety-year old woman, and two kids to battle them. You refuse to send reinforcements… you sit here and yell at each other… you have the nerve to yell at Kankuro when he did what any true ninja would have done." She stood and glared at the politicians, her Nekugan activated on its own free will. "When it is between a teammate or a mission… the mission is to be damned!" She slapped her hand on the table. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu2!"

Daisuke appeared, casually licking his face.

"Stay here and protect Kankuro."

The politician that had bad-mouthed Gaara let out a sneer. "You ask this kitten…"

"Daisuke," Ahri ordered.

He jumped off the table, and as he leapt, he formed into a larger panther. He was large enough for Kankuro to ride around on. "I'm no kitten," he growled.

The politician wiped the sneer off his face.

"Kankuro," Ahri said, with a growl to her voice. "Don't do something stupid, or Daisuke will eat you."

"I won't do anything you wouldn't do."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

She jumped onto the table, transforming into her panther mode in the process. She ran past the politician that had pulled her last straw and disappeared down the hall.

Kankuro grinned as he watched her go; Daisuke returned to his small form, making himself comfortable in Kankuro's lap. "She's a lot like you," he told Kankuro. "Low tolerance for stupidity."

Ahri ran to the sound of battle; she had decided to rest during the night to regain stamina after running full speed to catch up with Kakashi. She paused on a high tree branch to observe the scene before taking action.

Sasori had the teams surrounded with one hundred human puppets, one being especially dangerous with iron sand techniques. She saw Kakashi and Naruto, fighting back to back to hold off the puppets. Kakashi glanced up to the top of the river ravine; she followed his gaze. It was the white bird getting away.

"Kasa!" yelled Naruto. "Deidara is getting away!"

The roar of a panther made Kakashi glance up at the tree tops. Further up the river near Deidara, Ahri's panther form was leaping from a tree top at the white bird, hitting the blonde rider in the throat. With her holding on to his arm, Deidara went flying back into the rock wall, his head crushing against it.

Sasori turned to look at the scene, "Deidara, I told you not to wait!"

Ahri turned her head and spit out the arm she had torn off. The body of Deidara fell down into the river, being washed away. She leapt down to the river and bounded to the large scale fight happening on the cliff above.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed as she knocked a puppet away from Tenten. "She killed him in one hit."

"The cat only pounces on the mouse once," Kakashi answered Naruto. "Ahri, go in the cave and get Gaara!"

The panther glanced up at the large cave mouth and the multitude of powerful puppets that stood in her way. She began charging at the cave, dodging and jumping any attacks that came her way. Finally she was able to slide into the cave, having to pant from the use of her full body to flex out of the way of the puppets' jutsu. No wonder Kankuro almost died from his battle with Sasori.

She stopped panting as she spotted Gaara lying on the ground. "Gaara!" She ran to him, but slid to a stop as her eyes landed on the large statue in front of her. "What the hell?" She glanced around at the whole set up, but finally the sight of a man inside of a Venus-flytrap appearing from the ground caused her to move to action.

He nodded his head into the darkness and suddenly the large rock door of the cave began closing.

"Ahri!" Kakashi called as he noticed the door closing.

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled.

Through the trees, a large panther emerged; forcing Naruto and Kakashi to divert their attention back to the battle field. Kankuro was riding on the back of the panther with Karasu and Kuorari already prepared; behind the panther stood Temari and her team of Sand-nins.

Kakashi sighed; _does no one listen to orders?_

Ahri morphed back into her human form and ran to grab Gaara. The Venus-flytrap man turned back to her, slowly merging with the ground. He was going to race her to the exit and try to keep her trapped. Clutching at Gaara's limp body, she used her full speed to the nearly closed rock. She could feel the merged body right behind her; she could hear her heart pounding. With her last ounce of energy she dived under the shutting rock, landing on the lip of the cave opening as the rock slammed shut.

She couldn't move. If she didn't move, she was an easy target for the enemy. Already she could feel her body sinking into the earth beneath her. "Ahri!"

She glanced up. Kakashi was standing on the river, pulling Gaara to him with one hand and reaching out to her with another. With her last bit of energy she jerked her hand out to him. He grabbed hold and pulled with all his might. They went flying back to the river, but Kakashi 

had a firm hold on the two bodies. The battle with Sasori was finished as he reached the top of the cliff.

"Gaara!" shouted Kankuro as Kakashi laid the body out in the grass.

Ahri turned her weary head to the lifeless body of Gaara. "Gaara…" she whispered. Her knees buckled beneath her, but Kakashi grabbed her before she fell down. "Kakashi…" she whispered. He held her against him, allowing her to whisper in his ear. "There was something terrible in there. I think they used Gaara to activate it."

"What was it?"

She placed her hands on Kakashi's temples and channeled the sight of the statue from her memories to his. Or at least that's what she hoped would happen. Kakashi closed eyes as he was sent the image; Ahri collapsed in his arms from the transfer.

Sakura rushed over to Ahri while Chiyo looked over Gaara. "Is she okay?" Kakashi whispered to Sakura.

After a brief examination, Sakura nodded. "All of her chakra was drained; she'll be okay with rest."

Kakashi sat down next to Ahri, holding her protectively as he watched Chiyo use her own life force to save Gaara.

The large group decided to travel straight south and hopefully reach Ahri's inn before night. Gaara rode the back of Daisuke while Ahri was carried by Kakashi.

Naruto glanced at the body in his sensei's arms. "You know, I think I remember an Ahri from somewhere," he said. He put his finger under his chin and glanced up in order to think. "I think she was a grade older than me, but she was always bullying Kiba around. She was a real tomboy."

"Oh?" asked Kakashi.

"Yeah, I remember that Ahri too," said Tenten. "She would stay around and practice shuriken throwing with me. She told me I was going to become a great weapon specialist."

"Sounds like she was right," Kakashi answered.

Gaara smiled from atop the panther. "I think we had an Ahri too; she used to throw eggs at people who played with dolls."

Kankuro laughed as he walked beside his brother. "I heard she gave free massages to future Kazekages."

Naruto turned to them with a confused expression.

Kakashi laughed. "It seems there are a lot of Ahri's in the world."

Ahri opened her eyes and saw Kakashi holding her. "Is Gaara okay?"

"I'm alright Ahri."

She leaned her head back to smile at Gaara, despite that she was looking at him upside-down. "Hi Gaara." She turned back to Kakashi. "You can put me down now."

He let her down and she walked next to him. "Do you think there's enough room at the inn for all of these people?"

She glanced at Kakashi then at the approaching inn. Her father was sitting on the porch with his tea before realizing the crowd that was coming from the north. He smiled at the sight of his daughter, but it quickly faded when he saw Kakashi. "We brought company," Ahri announced.

Ahri rolled over in the hay bale she used as a bed. There was barely enough room in the inn for everyone, so she sacrificed her own room for Sakura and Tenten to use. The barn was good enough for her; the hay smelled sweet, and the blankets she used kept the hay from poking at her.

Kakashi and Kankuro stood at the end of the hallway in the inn, staring out at the barn where Ahri slept. "I need to talk to you Kankuro."

Kankuro turned to Kakashi. He never expected Kakashi to say something like that to him, and with such a serious tone.

"It's about Ahri."

Kankuro gulped; his throat was dry.

"How do you feel about her?"

"She became my best friend… I love her."

"As a best friend or someone to spend your life with?"

Kankuro glared at Kakashi. "Why do you care?"

"Because I'm tired of seeing her cry. She's an empath, and doesn't like to make her friends feel pain."

"Why would she make me feel pain?"

"Did she ever tell you that she loved you?"

Kankuro glared at Kakashi. "Of course…" he stopped. _Hasn't she?_ He closed his eyes and tried to remember their night in the hospital. She didn't even want him to tell her that he loved her.

"Just as I thought."

"Why do you care?" Kankuro asked again. "This is between me and her!"

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest. "No, _you_ are between _me and her_."

"Huh?"

"And if you stay there, I will fight you. Unlike her, I'm not afraid to make people feel pain."

"You want to be with Ahri? I thought you were her teacher… you're old…"

"She's not my student. And I'm quite aware of my age. That's why I'm hoping you'll respect your best friend and keep this between us."

Kankuro looked back at the barn. "Did she tell you that she loves you?"

"She brought me back from the dead with her love." Kakashi closed his eyes. "Yes, we've both said it."

Kankuro grabbed the panther that hung around his neck. _Is that why it lost its touch during those years? _"So all this time… she's been with you?"

"Yes."

He scowled.

"Kankuro… I'm not telling you this out of spite. I'm not out to hurt you. I just want to make it easier for her."

Kankuro opened his eyes, still scowling.

"Even with your blessing, we still have to keep this a secret from everyone. Especially since her new identity is supposed to be my cousin…" Kakashi turned away from the window. He paused to let Kankuro say something, but when he didn't, he walked out to the barn.

He climbed up to the hayloft where Ahri slept. As his hand rested on her cheek, she smiled. "I wondered if you were going to come and see me."

"After today, you're the first thing I want to see."

She lifted the blanket and he crawled under it. "This whole ordeal took up my vacation time," she joked.

"I guess you'll just have to plan a vacation to my place sometime."

Kankuro watched where Kakashi disappeared into the barn from the hall window, still clutching at his panther pendant. _ How can I let Ahri go to him now that she is back home?_

"So this is what you look like without the paint and hood?"

He turned around and saw Tenten walking up to the window. She looked different with her hair down. "This is the real me."

She leaned against the wall, staring out the window. "It's hard to sleep after a mission like this one."

Kankuro glanced down at the pendant and back at Tenten. _I can't stay with Ahri; even if she came back to me, everything she said, every touch, it would all be a lie. I can't stand in her way anymore._ "Thanks for helping us save Gaara."

"It was our mission." She turned to him with a smile.

He cleared his throat. "I'm going to get a glass of water. Care to join me?"3

Naruto opened his eyes and turned to where Kakashi should have been. The bed was empty. "Huh?" He walked out of his room and down the stairs to the kitchen. Kankuro and Tenten were standing next to the sink. "Hey," he called to them.

They both turned around quickly.

"Have either of you seen Kaka-sensei?"

Kankuro scratched the back of his head. "You shouldn't bother him Naruto. He went to talk to Ahri about what was in the cave."

Naruto huffed and went to walk out the backdoor; he paused and turned back to the two. "What are you two doing down here anyway?"

"We were thirsty," Tenten answered.

He grunted and walked out the door to the barn; it was supposed to be where Ahri was staying.

"Someone's coming," Ahri whispered to Kakashi. He pulled on his mask and scooted out from under the blanket. Luckily, they hadn't gone far.

"Hey Kaka-sensei," Naruto whined as he climbed up the ladder. "Why are you up here?"

Kakashi sighed; it was like Naruto never grew up.

"We're talking about my vacation being spoiled."

"Vacation? Ninjas don't take vacations…"

"Sometimes they do Naruto," Kakashi responded. "It helps them relax after a long series of missions. They just usually take vacations at the hospital."

Naruto crossed his arms. "That doesn't make sense. Why would you be up here talking about a vacation in the hospital?"

Kakashi sighed again; Ahri put her head in her hands. "Naruto, you should go back to sleep," Kakashi said. "We have to talk about other things."

Naruto clinched his fist. "Other things? How come when I go away and come back everything changes! Why can't anyone tell me what's going on?"

"Naruto-kun!" shouted Ahri, stopping his tirade. "Naruto-kun, how old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Then please try to act like it. When I was fifteen I…"

Kakashi turned to her, interested at what she would say.

"I acted a lot more mature than you are."

He grinned. _You acted more than mature._

Naruto gritted his teeth. "She may be related to you Kaka-sensei," he pointed at her, "but she's a real pest. She's like that Ahri who used to bully me and Kiba!" He jumped down and went back to the inn.

Kakashi turned to Ahri with a grin. "I can't believe he's the same age you are when we…"

Ahri smiled. "I know." She slipped his mask down and kissed him.

Ahri hugged her parents and sand friends; the morning had come and the Konoha shinobi had to report back to the Hokage.

"Because of your special situation Ahri, you should become a shinobi for Sunagakure as well," Gaara told her over the scrambled eggs she had made him.

"Has anyone ever done that before?"

"Not that I've heard of," Temari answered. "She would have to report to you and Tsunade."

Gaara smiled. "Having Ahri work for us both would be a sign of our strong alliance. And…" his smile broadened, "…she would come home more."

Ahri laughed. "I see the real reasoning." She hugged Gaara. "I will see you soon then, Kazekage."

She turned to Kankuro who was talking with Tenten. Tenten nodded at Ahri, and Kankuro turned to face her. "Hey Ahri."

"Kankuro…"

"Walk with me for a little bit."

She followed him to the back porch. "Kankuro…" she started again.

"Shhh… you don't have to say anything. I know." He slipped the pendant off of his neck and held it out to her. "I won't stand in your way anymore Ahri."

"But…" She really didn't want to hurt their friendship.

He smiled. "It's okay. Kakashi and I talked."

_Kakashi? I thought he wanted to keep it a secret!_

"I thought it over. All the drama between us; maybe it was a sign. We're not fairy tale characters, but it looks like you and him are." He gestured with the hand holding the pendant. "Take it. Please."

She took the pendant.

"Your secret is safe with me. You're still my best friend."

"Adigato, Kankuro."

He grinned; with his paint on, it reminded her of his wicked grins from their childhood. "If he hurts you, I will kill him. I don't care how great of a shinobi he is."

Ahri smiled, clutching the pendant in her hand.

"We're moving out," Kakashi said, poking his head out the backdoor.

Kankuro hurried back inside to tell Tenten something while Kakashi went to stand next to Ahri.

"I can't believe you talked to Kankuro."

Kakashi cringed; _I'm in trouble now_.

"Thank you."

He smiled with surprise, scratching the back of his head. "You're welcome."

She grabbed his hand and shoved the pendant into it. "Now you'll always know how I feel, and if I'm in trouble."

He opened his hand to look at the pendant.

Naruto and Sakura were watching Kakashi and Ahri through the kitchen windows. "They act pretty strange for cousins," Sakura whispered.

"Yeah. They were in the barn together all last night. Talking about vacations in hospitals."

"What? Naruto that doesn't even make sense!" Sakura hit him on the back of the head.

"Ow! Hey! That's what I thought too!"

"You probably misheard or misunderstood. Oh, what is that she handed him?"

Naruto squinted. "I can't tell; hey, he's putting it on."

"What are you two doing?" Hitomi asked as she brought dirty dishes to the sink.

"We were watching Kaka.." Naruto started.

Sakura covered his mouth and smiled. "You said you were Ahri's foster parents, right?"

Hitomi sighed. "Yes."

"So she _is_ Kakashi's cousin?"

"Why do you ask?"

"They act weird together," Naruto blurted out.

Hitomi glanced out the window to see Ahri and Kakashi both looking at the panther pendants.

"Why would she give him a matching necklace?" Naruto asked. "It's just weird."

Hitomi shook her head. "It's not a necklace. The panther pendants are connected so that the wearers can feel each other's emotions, especially any extreme emotions."

"Emotions?" asked Sakura.

"Pain," Hitomi answered. "It can be used to feel if the other is in some form of pain, or at least that's what they're probably using it for."

"Oh! I see!" Sakura chimed. "That's a really smart idea!"

Kakashi and Ahri walked back in. "Are you two ready?" he asked Naruto and Sakura.

They nodded 'yes' and followed Ahri out the front door.

"Kakashi…"

He turned to face Hitomi.

"Take care of my daughter."

He smiled. "My life is hers." He followed his team out the door and back to Konoha.

* * *

1 _Shikyaku Henge no jutsu: _Four-Legged Beast Transformation Technique

2 _Kuchiyose no jutsu: _Summoning technique

3 Kankuro must go with Tenten; they're the perfect couple. Anyone who has read "Little Green Leaf" knows this.


	5. Pt 4 The Sensei Arc

PART FOUR

_The Sensei Arc_

* * *

Naruto and Sakura sat behind a bush near the hot stream. "Why are we here again?" Naruto asked.

"Because spying on Kakashi and Ahri is the only way we can determine their relationship. And I heard him tell Ahri to meet him here in the morning. They should show up at any moment."

Kakashi and Ahri walked up to the hot stream causing Naruto and Sakura to hold in their breath.

"Did you bring the staffs?" Kakashi asked.

Ahri tossed him a bo staff, spinning her own around her.

"They're… training?" Naruto asked as Ahri and Kakashi lunged at each other with the staffs.

"Shhh… we'll follow them so we see where they go next."

After training, Ahri suggested that they go shop for groceries; she was out after coming back from vacation.

"You sense them too?" Kakashi whispered.

"They're so obvious." The two walked to the market with Naruto and Sakura trailing behind.

"Don't forget to get stuff for the dumplings," Kakashi reminded Ahri.

"Did he just call her 'dumpling'?" asked Naruto.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I ate all the ones you left for me."

Ahri shook her head. "You're a pig. I'll make some tonight."

"I'll be there."

"Ugh… it's like a date," Naruto whispered to Sakura.

"Hey! They're splitting up! You follow Kakashi-sensei and I'll follow Ahri-sama!"

Kakashi went to his apartment and put his groceries up. It was their first day back from retrieving Gaara and all he wanted to do was spend time with Ahri. He especially wanted to spend time with her now that he knew that she only had him in mind. _But with Naruto and Sakura following us everywhere – well, at least Sasuke isn't helping them this time._

Ahri put the last of her groceries up. It would be easy for her to meld into her floor or disappear from the prying eyes of Sakura, but she didn't want to take the easy way out. She pulled her blue kimono out of her pack and hung it in her closet; from there, she pulled out the black kimono and matching nightgown. She was really going to play with these kids' minds.

Sakura glanced quickly into Ahri's window and saw her holding up a kimono and sexy negligee to her, checking herself in the mirror. _Is she going to wear that tonight?_ Ahri disappeared into her bathroom with the outfit.

Naruto glanced into Kakashi's window. He was pulling something out of a drawer… _an ANBU outfit?_ _Why are you going to wear that Kaka-sensei?_

Ahri stepped out of the bathroom with kimono open, showing off how she looked in the negligee. She sat down at her vanity to comb her long hair. She smiled into her mirror and began singing as she combed. "Let them sleep; Let them dream. Let them be whatever they can. 

Let them weep; let them scream. Let them fight all the demons within. And when the sun comes up, just let them sleep. Yeah, let them sleep."

Sakura gulped. Not only was Ahri a master ninja (and assassin/spy), but she was very beautiful – and could sing. Sakura put a hand to her small breasts. _If I was more like Ahri, maybe Sasuke wouldn't have left me behind._

"And I know that I loved you. But you never felt the same way as I did. So is that why you left me?" Ahri continued singing. Satisfied with her hair's sheen, she braided a small front section, tying it off with a ribbon. She glanced at the clock; still too early to begin cooking. _What else can I do to entertain Sakura?_ She smiled and grabbed a bottle of lotion, and began applying it to her legs.

Kakashi walked out of his bathroom, refreshed from his morning training and dressed in the black layer of his ANBU uniform; Ahri had a particular fondness for him in his ANBU uniform. Even if the night was under surveillance, there were some things he could do and Ahri would understand. She would understand what she would be getting if they weren't there.

Naruto glanced in the window. What was that Kakashi was putting on his arms? _It's making them… shiny._

Sakura's eyes widened as Ahri put the lotion back; her body was shimmering. _Does Kakashi-sensei like girls that shimmer?_

Ahri cleared off her vanity and turned to her bed. It needed to be made.

Kakashi grabbed the new Icha Icha book Naruto had given him and slipped it into his pouch.

Ahri turned to her small kitchen and began preparing the dumplings.

Kakashi left his apartment and slowly made his way to the market.

Sakura looked at her watch. Kakashi would show up soon.

Naruto peered around the corner and saw Kakashi enter Ino's flower shop. _Flowers? You're buying her flowers Kaka-sensei?_

Ahri finished the dumplings and set them on her small table. With the knock on the door, she quickly fastened her kimono closed and opened the door. Irises greeted her. "Surprise."

She laughed.

Naruto ran to Sakura's side in order to spy on the two. "Did you see that?" he whispered. "He brought her flowers!"

"Quiet Naruto!" Sakura glanced back up. Ahri was gesturing to her bed and saying something to Kakashi. "She's gesturing to her bed… Kakashi's walking to it... he's… hanging the flowers upside down? Around her bed?" She slid back down under the window.

"What does it mean Sakura-chan?"

"We were taught that irises meant faith, but, by hanging them around the bed, it's probably to help Ahri sleep. Irises give off a calming scent and some people use them as a natural sedative." She sighed. "I thought we were on to something with the flowers too."

"Ahri-sama is really hot!" Naruto exclaimed as he peeped over the window.

"Naruto! Quiet!" Sakura put a choke hold on him.

Kakashi sighed. "We can't even pretend that we didn't hear that." He stood and opened the window.

Sakura and Naruto stopped fighting to give nervous smiles to Kakashi. "Uh – hi Kaka-sensei!" Naruto said cheerfully.

"May I ask what you two are doing outside Ahri's window?"

Before Sakura could stop him, Naruto jumped up and pointed a finger at Kakashi. "Hey I know that something weird is going on here! You can't fool me."

Ahri walked up behind Kakashi with her arms folded around her waist. "Do you hear that Kakashi? Something is weird here."

Kakashi sighed. "And I was just about to eat dumplings."

Naruto scowled at the two of them.

"You know Naruto does have a point. I mean, that's a really nice outfit for just – dumplings with Kakashi."

Ahri put her hand on Kakashi's back. "I told you it was a nice outfit."

He looked at her. _It'd be nicer if I could take it off._ He turned back to Naruto and Sakura. "You know Ahri… they are my teammates."

She glanced down at him. "Would they keep their mouths shut?"

Naruto and Sakura's jaws dropped. What were they talking about?

"If not, I'll let you kill them." Kakashi smiled. "Come in here."

The two entered through the open window and joined Kakashi at the small table while Ahri served two more plates of dumplings. "What is this about Kaka-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Ahri isn't my cousin."

"Huh?"

"Naruto – some people are forced to hide their identities from others. By using my last name, Ahri is hiding her identity."

"So who is she?" Sakura asked.

"The name isn't important," Ahri interrupted. "I'm just hiding from Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru," Naruto growled.

"What does he want with you?" Sakura asked.

"My body."

Naruto clinched his fist. "That's why he took Sasuke."

"I know. Kakashi told me."

The two stared at their plates.

Kakashi watched them with a lazy eye. "If you don't eat your food, I will."

Naruto picked up his chopsticks slowly while Sakura asked, "If you two are not related… that doesn't explain the outfit Ahri."

"They're hinting at something." Kakashi grinned.

"I think they're saying I shouldn't wear nice clothing."

"You too Kakashi-sensei; you never wear that," Sakura added.

Naruto popped the first dumpling into his mouth. "Wow Ahri-sama! This is really good!" He quickly began eating them. "You know, you'll make a good wife someday!"

She blushed as Kakashi turned to her, a smile in his eyes.

Sakura gasped. "Kakashi-sensei!"

He turned inquisitively to Sakura. "Yes?"

"You're in love with Ahri-sama!"

"I am?"

"And Ahri-sama!" Naruto said with his mouth full, "Ahri-sama is in love with you!"

"She is?" Kakashi looked up at Ahri. "Are you in love with me Ahri?"

She frowned, "I would like to thank these two for ruining my beautiful plan to get your mask off."

Naruto laughed. "He wears a mask under that one."

"And probably one under that."

Ahri sighed. "That's a lot of masks to go through."

Naruto leaned back, rubbing his stuffed stomach. "Yah, Kaka-sensei is weird like that."

Kakashi turned to Ahri. "Happy birthday, by the way."

She smiled; it was hard to remember both of her birthdays.

"It's your birthday?" Sakura asked.

"How old are you?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto! You idiot!" Sakura hit him. "You don't ask a lady how old she is!"

Kakashi stood as the two fought again. "Ahri," he whispered, leaning in close to her ear, "we'll never get peace unless we tell them."

"Are you sure they won't tell _anyone_ else?"

He leaned back and turned to the two, kicking Naruto away from Sakura. "You two, quiet. I have something serious to say."

They stopped and turned to Kakashi. He glanced down at their grinning faces.

"If anything I say leaves this room, it jeopardizes Ahri's identity and therefore her safety. You cannot tell anyone."

"Not even Tsunade," Ahri added.

"Well, that jeopardizes my safety," Kakashi agreed. "Do you two understand?"

They nodded their heads.

"I plan on actually making Ahri into Hatake Ahri."

Ahri turned to him with a blush. "Kakashi…" she whispered.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

Sakura clasped her hands together and smiled. "I was right! You _do_ love her!"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't get it."

Sakura hit the back of his head. "He's going to marry Ahri! Baka!"

"If she says yes," Kakashi added.

All three turned their heads to Ahri.

"Kakashi… I…"

Naruto and Sakura leaned forward smiling. _Say yes!_

"I… can't."

Naruto and Sakura's faces were crestfallen.

"Until Orochimaru is defeated."

Kakashi smiled; he had expected an answer like that.

Naruto pounded his fist in his hand. "That settles it! We got to stop Orochimaru so we can get Sasuke back and so Kakashi and Ahri can get married!"

Sakura blushed and grabbed Naruto's arm. "Come on Naruto. Let's let them talk."

"But Sakura-chan…"

"You can take me on a date."

"Alright!" The two left Kakashi and Ahri alone.

Kakashi knelt down to the table, finally able to eat his dumplings. Ahri walked to the window and closed it and the curtains. She stood, clutching the curtains closed. Her stomach had butterflies, but not the soft kind… the dive-bomber kind. Kakashi had proposed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, lifting a dumpling to his mouth.

She smiled.

Kakashi turned to her, letting the dumpling fall back down to the plate. "Ahri?" He walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her whole body was shaking. He turned her chin toward him with his finger. She was smiling; he returned the smile. His hand stretched up, caressing her cheek with his thumb. The two stood frozen, staring in each other's eyes. Finally, Ahri closed her eyes and leaned against him. He held her head against his chest as he buried his nose in her hair. "Sorry I didn't properly propose to you," he whispered. "I don't think I would have found the right words."

She looked up at him. "I never knew you to come up with words like that anyway."

"I can try." He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead.

* * *

Kakashi stared at the ceiling of Ahri's apartment; hours had passed since she had drifted off to sleep. He could feel the steady rise and fall of her body, her hot breath on his chest, her hair draped over his left arm. Times like these kept him from sleeping; times when he felt completely happy and satisfied with his life.

He touched the scar over his eye. He wanted to marry Ahri, but could he? Was he able to protect her like he thought he could? That day, he had promised Obito that he would protect Rin with his life or death. It was only four years later when Rin died, and there was nothing he was able to do, through his life or death. And if he married Ahri… that was a future. There were children. Could he protect his children or would they be left to suffer like he had?

He turned his head and looked down at Ahri. He brought his hand down from his scar and caressed her face. In her sleep she smiled. He couldn't hold back his own smile. He slid out from her grasp carefully and pulled on his shirt. There was someone he had to visit.

"Kakashi?" Ahri whispered, half-asleep.

He walked back to her, kissing her forehead. "Go back to sleep. I'll be back soon."

She pulled a pillow up next to her where his body had been and fell back asleep. He shook his head and walked out the door to the memorial.

Kakashi knelt down next to the memorial. "Well Obito…" he whispered. "I know you've met her before, even if you were only in her for a second. But I asked her to marry me." He smiled. "She said yes." He tucked one leg under him, propping his arms up with his other knee. "I know you'd like her too. She's got some Rin in her." He scratched his arm. "I don't know if I'll be able to… I don't think I can protect her. I'm too weak to protect her Obito." A small tear fell from his right eye; he gave a slight chuckle as he wiped it away. "I think I'm turning into you." He paused, remembering the night he had flown in front of the chakra beam to save Ahri's life, remembering how she brought him back from the dead. His hand reached up to push the forehead protector away from the Sharingan eye. A small tear was falling from it. He reached up, taking the tear from his cheek and staring at it. Never before had this eye been able to moisten itself, but now it was crying. "So you understand Obito. I need a way to protect her."

The wind swept around him, causing him to throw his hand over his left eye. When the wind ended, he pulled his hand back, covered in tears. But there was something different about his eye. He now had his own Mangekyo Sharingan. A voice spoke inside of him: _Instead of taking your best friend's life, you saved it by sacrificing your own. You are more like me than you know, Hatake Kakashi. When you saved her that time, you opened the door to this ability. Now it's officially unlocked. Congratulations on your love, Commander._

Kakashi knelt forward in the grass, tears running down his right eye while his left eye remained dry again.

* * *

Ahri leaned against the Hokage's desk as they waited for the ANBU member Tsunade had called for. Ahri was resting from transferring the image of the statue to Tsunade, and soon she would have to transfer the image to this ANBU member who was apparently skilled with drawing. At least this should be the last transfer of that image. It took more out of her to transfer memories to a person than take it from them.

The door opened, causing Ahri to look up. The masked figure made her sigh; she wasn't sure if she was ready yet for the transfer.

"Ahri will transfer you the image," Tsunade told him.

He stood in the middle of the room waiting.

Ahri walked over to him. "I'm going to have to move your mask; it's covering…"

He lifted the mask up.

Ahri was surprised. He was young, around Naruto and Sakura's age. Gingerly, she reached her hands up to his temples and closed her eyes. Once again she pictured the statue from the Akatsuki's hideout and sent the image down to her arms and out her fingertips into the boy's mind. With the transfer complete, she nearly fell to her knees, but he caught her arm.

"Adigato," she whispered to the ANBU member.

Tsunade stared at her. The ability to do a memory transfer was powerful, but it was still too new for Ahri to be using it this much. "I need you to draw that as soon as possible. Ahri, I'm putting you in charge of administering the second exam at the Chuunin exams."

_Administering exams?_ "But…" Ahri started.

Tsunade glared at her.

"I will, but I was wondering if you've heard anything from the Kazekage. He told me…"

"He sent word. But I'm not sure about it. Nothing like that has ever been done before. For now, administer the exam. Both of you are dismissed."

She walked out with the ANBU member while he replaced his mask. "You did get a good look at the statue from the memory, right?" she asked him.

"Yes."

"Have you ever seen anything like it before?"

"No."

_You have great verbal skills._ "I wonder what it could be."

He didn't respond. She stopped walking as Team Kakashi walked up the hallway. The ANBU member paused for a moment, but then continued down the hallway. Kakashi turned to watch him.

"Hey, hey! Ahri-sama!" Naruto called to her with a wave.

She smiled and waved back.

"Hey Naruto, Tsunade-sama wanted to talk to you first," Sakura reminded him. "Don't keep her waiting."

Naruto grinned at Ahri and hurried past her to the Hokage's office.

"He's still a Genin, isn't he?"

Kakashi nodded his head. "I think that's what Tsunade wanted to talk to him about."

"We'll probably be grounded until he finishes the exam," Sakura sighed. "Unless you join us."

Ahri shook her head. "I've already been grounded."

Kakashi turned to her.

"I'm administering the second exam for the Chuunin-hopefuls. And I don't have much time to prepare anything." She squeezed Kakashi and Sakura's shoulders as she walked past them down the hall.

* * *

Kakashi opened the door to Ahri's apartment. "Hey…" he began, but stopped upon seeing her, Iruka, Kiba, and Shikamaru sitting on the ground looking at a large map of the Forest of Death. The four looked up at him. He smiled and scratched the back of his head. "I guess this isn't a good time to train."

"Actually," Ahri replied, "these three were about to leave. We were just looking over my layout one last time before tomorrow."

"With these traps over here," Iruka pointed to the map, "we could have a medic team in wait there. I'm sure we'll need them."

Ahri nodded. "I'd put them at all four points. But are traps shouldn't be lethal, unless they are really an idiot."

Kiba stood up. "I hope Naruto isn't taking this exam then."

Shikamaru grinned while Iruka scowled.

"I don't think Naruto will fall into it; he's grown up some," Ahri replied.

Iruka's face calmed. He and Shikamaru stood and walked out the door with Kiba. Kakashi stood leaning against the door, watching Ahri put up the map.

"I won't have time to train tonight," she answered him. "In a few hours I'm going to the forest to ensure that the shrines I ordered are completed."

"A few hours are all I require." He turned out her light and spun her toward him.

"Kakashi…"

"I'm leaving tomorrow on a scouting mission," he said, pulling off his mask.

"By yourself?"

"I have my Ninken."

She grinned. "I don't think Pakkun is much of a fighter."

He ran his fingers up her hair. "I'll be back in a few weeks. Don't worry." He fell down on his knees, pressing his face against Ahri's stomach.

She reached down, combing her fingers in his hair. "I'll be okay while you're away," she whispered.

He smiled, "I know." He pulled up the tight shirt from her stomach and kissed the skin.

"If there is one, he will be safe too."

Kakashi closed his eyes, hoping to listen for any sound of another life.

"It won't work, not this soon. I'll know by the time you get back." She smiled. _I think he really wants a child, but I don't. I don't think I am pregnant. I'm only a little late. I shouldn't have even mentioned it in passing; when I said 'I wish it would hurry up and get here', I didn't expect him to hear 'I might be pregnant'._

He rubbed his fingers over her stomach. "If you are there, don't watch what I'm about to do to mommy." He stood back, lifting the rest of her shirt off.

"Kaka-kun…" she began to protest, but stopped as he kissed her. _He's been like this ever since I was officially 'his' with that proposal. He seems to want me all the time. _She looked up at him as he pulled off his shirt. _But I can't say I don't want him._

He lifted her up in his arms and carried her to the bed as they kissed. He let her down gently, pulling off her pants before crawling on top of her. He kissed her neck, smelling in the milk and honey of her hair.

The door of her apartment opened, and Kakashi instantly threw a blanket over them.

"Holy shit."

Ahri put her hand over her forehead. _Damn._ She gingerly pulled the blanket down to reveal her blushing face. "Hi Kiba…" She smiled. "You caught me at a…"

"Great time, it looks like." He turned his back on the two. "I left my shuriken pouch, but I guess I'll come get it… when you're not busy."

She grabbed a sheet off the bed and wrapped it around her as she ran after Kiba. "Kiba…" she whispered. She ignored the fact that she was naked with only a sheet standing outside her door.

He turned away from her. "It's wrong Ahri." His hand quickly went up to his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong about it…"

"He used to be like your baby-sitter Ahri. He's like twice your age. And you're only seventeen. It's… so wrong."

She glared at Kiba. "I love him Kiba."

"And I'm sure he's told you the same."

"He has."

He shook his head. "You know, I was jealous of Kankuro. But that, I could handle that. He's one of us. Kakashi is…"

"I don't need you to preach to me!" she shouted. "It's my life. I can do what I want with it." She clutched the sheet tightly around her; Kiba turned to look at her. "I don't need you to tell me what is right and what is wrong. I don't need you looking down on me. I need… I need support. You think my parents are going to be happy about this relationship? You think _anyone_ is going to be happy about this relationship?"

He stared her in the eyes. "That should tell you something." He turned to walk away.

"I shouldn't have to care what others think. If I did that, you and I would have never been friends. Or have you forgotten all of the fun times at Kigakure?"

He paused to say something, but decided against it and moved on.

* * *

"What do you mean I didn't make Chuunin?" Naruto yelled.

Ahri was sitting under a tree, scratching the back of Daisuke's ear. Sakura sat nearby, studying a medical book.

"The vote was against you," Ahri answered.

"You did run into the trap without even pausing to look at it," Sakura added. "Chuunin are supposed to be able to lead a team; someone who blindly runs into trouble can't be expected to be a Chuunin."

Naruto growled as he sat on the ground in front of Ahri. She stared at him as he scowled. _Sakura is right Naruto. A shinobi cannot think with his heart alone._

"Hey you three!" Kakashi had jumped down behind Naruto, shaking the boy's hair. "Are you finally a Chuunin?"

"No…" mumbled Naruto. He was about to say more, but Kakashi was already sitting next to Ahri, scratching Daisuke's ear.

"Well?" he asked Ahri.

"No," she answered him.

Kakashi sighed. "Two no's. I'm 0 for 2. Sakura, did you learn the new technique you were working on?"

"Not yet." She flipped the page.

"Not yet is better than a no."

Ahri turned to him. _He really did want the child. Old perverted softy._

Kakashi smiled. "I have a message from Tsunade for you, Ahri."

"Anything to keep me from going up to her office."

"You're going to become a sensei for one of the teams graduating this year."

Ahri closed her eyes. Yet again, Tsunade was making her do a task that kept her from working with the Sand. Or from defeating Orochimaru in order to gain her life back.

"Hey! Ahri-sama! You're going to be a sensei like Kakashi!"

She smiled and opened her eyes. "I feel sorry for that team."

"Me too," Kakashi agreed. He dropped his hand down next to hers on the ground, placing his pinky over hers so that no one could see it.

* * *

Iruka led Ahri to the room her future team was waiting in. "I hear the first time you have a team is the hardest," he said.

"I've talked it over with Kakashi."

Iruka paused, rubbing the back of his head with a grin. "Does that mean there is a chance that I'll be seeing these three back at the academy?"

"I didn't say I was going to proceed just like Kakashi." She paused outside the door, listening to what was happening on the inside.

"Shhh! Keep calm, he'll never know what's coming."

"You two are such idiots."

The smell of paint. What a cheap trick. She merged with the ground, and reemerged inside the room.

"What?" asked both of the boys.

She glanced to the door; the paint can trap set up above the doorway. She glanced back at the three students. The boys were standing, shaking, but the girl sat quietly at a desk, waiting for their orders. _A Hyuga._

"My first impression of you," Ahri calmly said, "is that you are idiots."

All three of their faces dropped.

"But let's try introducing ourselves first. You two, open the door."

"But…" one protested.

"Open the door."

They frowned and opened the door, the paint spilling onto them.

"Alright, let's head upstairs." Ahri walked past the two, lightly stepping over the paint.

The two boys scowled at her; the Hyuga girl jumped over the paint. "I told you that you two were idiots."

Ahri sat on the railing on the top of the academy and looked over the three students. The Hyuga girl sat apart from the two boys. "Alright, let's introduce ourselves."

"Like how?" asked one of the boys.

"Say your name. Your likes, dislikes, dreams and ambitions, hobbies… that sort of thing."

"You go first," the other boy said. These two reminded of her someone, she just couldn't put a finger on who.

"Okay then… I'm Hatake Ahri. My likes and dislikes wouldn't interest you. My dream… is over your head. My hobby, well, I visit graveyards often."

The two boys' jaws dropped; the Hyuga girl stared at her intently.

"You next," she indicated to the boy who said 'you go first'.

"I'm Kamizuki Mizumaru."

_That's who it is. The little brothers of Izumo and Kotetsu. Whoever decided they were the perfect team for me is going to have a very splitting headache._

"I like making jokes and pulling pranks. And dumplings. With syrup. My dislikes are school and teachers. My hobbies include swimming and spending time with my chum." He put his arm around the other boy's shoulder. "My ambition is to become a high level ninja like my brother."

"And you?" she asked the other boy.

"I'm Hagane Jiro. I like pulling pranks and making jokes and eating syrupy dumplings. My dislikes are teachers and school. My hobbies include sword practice and spending time with my chum." He grinned. "My ambition is to become an even higher level ninja like my brother."

_How original._ She nodded to the Hyuga girl.

"I am Hyuga Hanabi. I dream of becoming the head of the Hyuga clan, surpassing my sister Hinata and cousin Neji in their skills."

"Any likes or dislikes?"

She stared at the two boys. "I dislike Mizumaru and Jiro."

Their smiling faces dropped to a frown.

_They must both like her._

"Alright. Our first mission is tomorrow at training ground 14. Don't eat breakfast; it'll make you throw up."

She melded back with the ground, leaving her team to stare at each other.

* * *

"You're carrying my name pretty well," Kakashi said as he walked up to Ahri.

She was standing in front of the memorial.

"People really will believe we're related." He stood next to her.

"There are a lot of Neko's on this memorial." She reached her hand up to the empty space in front of her.

Kakashi stared hard at the area her hand was in. Ahri had recently been able to see the spirits without suffering from their emotions or being possessed by them. He could only suspect that one was in front of them now. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Gekko Hayate."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Who killed him?"

Ahri closed her eyes. "I cannot tell you."

"Why?"

"Because it happened during a war with our rivals. I don't want revenge to break any bonds. Besides, he told me not to tell, because Yuugao swore revenge."

"So someone from the sand," Kakashi whispered.

"It's in the past." She lowered her hand. "I have to go hold a test." She jumped away from Kakashi and Hayate's ghost.

She appeared from the ground in front of her students who had grown impatient waiting on her.

"It's about time you showed up," Jiro growled.

"My brother said that Hatake Kakashi always had the knack of being late too."

Ahri held a bell in front of them. "If you cannot pass my test, you will be sent back to the academy. Two of you will fail it for certain. All you have to do is get this bell from me. If you can't get it by noon, you will not eat lunch and will be tied to the poles as I eat my lunch."

"What?"

"But there's only one bell and three of us," Hanabi stated.

"That means only one of you will past the test. You can use any technique or weapon against me. You have to be prepared to kill me if you want to pass."

"Alright!" yelled Jiro and Mizumaru, charging at her.

She sidestepped them, causing them to bump heads and fall to the ground. "I didn't say 'start' yet." She tied the bell to her belt loop, and then tied a bandana around her eyes. Now her face was completely covered. "Start."

Jiro and Mizumaru grinned and reached for the bell, but to their dismay, Ahri flickered out of the way.

Using her Projection Technique, her voice called out to them. "A ninja must learn how to conceal themselves." She focused her senses. Hanabi was concealed, but a rustling in the bushes allowed her to sense where the boys were.

"Stop hiding sensei!" Jiro called. "The two of us will take you down."

Ahri stepped into the open clearing. "But who will get the bell?"

"We'll decide on that _after _we beat you!" Mizumaru answered. "Take off the blinder so you can see us."

Ahri folded her arms. "I don't even have to bother."

Angrily, the two charged at her with their fists, but she easily dodged the attacks by using the sound it made. Finally, she jumped behind them, transforming into a panther. With one roar, the two were scurrying to the cover of the trees.

_She intimidated them with a transformation technique._ Hanabi stared at the blindfolded panther. _How is she able to sense us without seeing us?_ She closed her eyes. Her sister warned her that only three people had passed Kakashi's exam, and that Ahri would be even harder. _It's almost noon._ Her stomach growled. _Byugakan! _

Ahri transformed back to her human form, turning to face Hanabi.

Hanabi gasped. _Am I spotted?_

* * *

"Who ended up tied to the post?" Kakashi asked Ahri.

"Hagane Jiro and Kamizuki Mizumaru."

"So your situation is reversed."

She kissed his chest. "Very much so. Those two have more than enough teamwork while Hanabi has none. To make matters worse, I think they both like Hanabi, but haven't told each other or anyone else. If they let that slip, it'll be a fight."

Kakashi smiled. "Children."

"Yeah." She kissed his chest again. "But they passed."

"You know… if we do have children, I'll feel very sorry for them."

Ahri blushed. He had been making references like that ever since she told him that she wasn't pregnant. She leaned back against her headboard.

He hit her shoulder with his. "I hope they torture you like mine tortured me."

She smiled. "Thank you. I just… I wanted to do something else; I didn't want to be a sensei."

"If you're talking about Orochimaru, I will hunt him down for you."

"Are you strong enough?"

Kakashi's right eye opened all the way. _Did she just question my ability? She's never said that before, even if she is becoming stronger than I am._ He frowned and crawled out of bed.

Ahri looked down at her hands. "Kakashi…" She followed him as he bent down to pick up his shirt. "I just know that last time you faced him..."

"That was then Ahri. I've improved since then." He looked up at her. "I told you I would protect you, and that means I've been training to fight Orochimaru. He will not touch you."

"I know… I know that's what you've worked toward. But hard work doesn't always pay off." She tied up her kimono and rushed out the door.

Kakashi stared at the white door. _What is wrong with her?_

Ahri knelt down next to the memorial stone. Not far from it was the entrance to the Konoha graveyard. Even if the spirits were not buried there, such as Obito, the spirits had a way of returning to this stone. They were around her now; she could see them all. And there was one thing the spirits enjoyed: a living person who could talk to them. Whose voice was still vibrant and not hollow like their own.

Rin's spirit knelt next to Ahri. "Did you come to sing for us again Ahri?" she whispered. "We appreciate it."

Ahri nodded her head. Lately she had been sneaking out to the graveyard to talk with the spirits, ever since the Chuunin exam.

Rin turned to the other spirits. "She's going to sing for us again."

"The truth never lies, so why do you say that I do. All those nights that I don't cry, cause I'm not lost without you. The truth never lies, so why do you say… say that I do." She closed her eyes. "I have told you, thought you'd understand that I don't need you. I don't need your hand. So why do come by, why do you come by me, and show me things I don't want to see. Why do you come se near, and tell me things I don't want to hear."

Kakashi hid behind a nearby tree, listening to Ahri talk to the night air. Spirits had to be there, somewhere.

"You had a chance, but you lost it. You had my heart, but you broke it. The truth never lies, so why do you say… say that I do."

Hayate's spirit knelt in front of her. "Ahri, we've discovered something."

"What is it?" Her eyes remained close.

"If you touch a spirit, and flow your chakra into theirs, you can give them form again."

"Bring them back to life?"

He nodded his head. "Temporarily."

Kakashi peered around the tree as Ahri held her hand out in front of her. He watched in amazement as a hand formed out of the air in front of her, the arm spread further to a shoulder, and down through the body. Finally the head formed. It was Gekko Hayate!

Ahri fell forward on her face. Hayate lifted her back up. "With practice Ahri." He placed his hand on her forehead, allowing the chakra she had given him to flow back into her. Only his spirit remained again. "We will all help you practice Ahri. Someday, you will be able to defeat Orochimaru. And maybe, you'll be able to save the spirits of the Hokages."

She looked up at him. "The Hokages?"

Hayate explained the seal technique that the Fourth used on the Nine-Tails, sacrificing his own spirit to the Death God. That same technique was used by the Third when the First and Second were reincarnated by Orochimaru.

Ahri clinched her fists. "Somehow I can save them too."

Rin smiled. "While you rest your chakra…"

Ahri returned the smile. "Why do ghosts like singing so much?"

"It reminds us of being alive."

Ahri closed her eyes again and began to sing. "You were a friend and father. You were all that mattered. You were hope to all our world, but that world was shattered."

Rin's spirit turned to see Kakashi approach, but Ahri did not notice.

"Now we're hoping you were here again. Hoping to hear your voice. Hoping that we might happen to feel the times when we once rejoiced."

More spirits from the graveyard walked down to the memorial stone. Kakashi felt a chill on his back as the earth around him seemed to hum with Ahri's lone voice; _it's that song,_ he thought.

"We're hoping to find a piece of you trapped within our hearts; hoping to find that hidden strength, the Will of Fire you would impart. No more crying eyes; no more fallen tears. No more looking back on lonely years. Help us find your Fire. Help us light the Fire." She opened her eyes and saw Kakashi standing behind Rin. Rin closed her eyes as she tried to touch Kakashi's face, but all her hand could do was pass through his body. Only Ahri had the ability to touch them.

"That was beautiful Ahri," Kakashi said. He knelt next to her, passing through spirits.

She turned her head to him, still feeling slightly dizzy from the chakra transfer to Hayate. "Thank you."

He reached up to kiss her. Doing so made Rin's spirit turn away.

"We're not alone Kakashi," Ahri whispered.

"I figured as much. But I think they would agree that you deserved a kiss for your singing."

Ahri stood, grabbing Rin on the shoulder, forcing her chakra into her. "Ahri!" Rin shouted. Then she realized her voice was real, and Kakashi was staring at her. He was forced out of the stare when Ahri collapsed and he had to catch her.

"How can she do that?" Kakashi asked Rin. "Did she… possess you?"

"She transferred her chakra temporarily. With more training, she'll be able to do this without losing control of her own body. Much like the mind body switch technique her mother could do."

Kakashi looked at Rin. She looked the same as she did before her death. "This technique… it's so powerful," he whispered.

"And we'll help her develop it. I know why she did this though... for me." Rin reached up and touched Kakashi's face.

He closed his eyes. "Rin, did you do it?"

"No."

"Who did?"

"I never saw." She leaned forward to kiss him. He wanted to feel this touch, but still… he wanted Ahri back.

"So you really do love her." Rin dropped her hand to Ahri's forehead. "That's all we needed to know." She faded away as Ahri stirred.

"Did she talk to you?" she asked.

"Thank you Ahri." He kissed her forehead. "Let's go home for tonight." He helped her walk back to her apartment.

* * *

Ahri stood behind her team in the Hokage's office in order to receive their first mission. "We're… picking up trash?" Jiro repeated.

"Don't we have, people for that?" Mizumaru asked.

"You are the people," Tsunade said.

"Come on you three," Ahri said, leading them out of the office. "You don't want to see her angry."

"This is a stupid assignment. We should be out battling the enemy!" Jiro yelled.

"What enemy is that?" Ahri asked.

"The Akatsuki!" Mizumaru yelled.

Ahri laughed. "I don't think you three would be much if faced with the Akatsuki."

The boys growled.

Ahri smiled. "I'm not much against the Akatsuki."

"Huh?" the three asked.

"I thought you killed one Ahri-sensei," Hanabi said.

"It's easy to kill someone who is unsuspecting. That's what assassination is about. But you three are not assassins. You're a team." They stopped when they reached the streets. "You see… with so many people out fighting the Akatsuki, there's hardly anyone here. Look at the streets."

They glanced down the streets.

"Look at the filth in it. Let's say someone attacked right now. There's so much filth in the street that many attacks would be nullified. Mizumaru, would you use a water attack here? No, it'd just get blocked by the garbage."

"So you're saying that cleaning the streets will help us defeat the enemy?" Jiro asked.

"Exactly."

The two rushed off to begin collecting garbage in their bags. Hanabi watched them run off. "That was a lame reason."

"You need to complete 8 D-rank missions before even trying to reach Chuunin level. Suck it up and collect garbage."

Hanabi sighed. _That's not a lame reason._

Ahri jumped up to a nearby rooftop. Shikamaru and Chouji were already there. "Here so early?"

"We're waiting on Ino to fix her hair or something like that," Shikamaru answered. "How's your new team?"

"A mini-Neji, a mini-Izumo, and a mini-Kotetsu. How do you think?"

Chouji laughed with his mouth closed.

* * *

_Log Book of Hatake Ahri:_

_Two missions completed today. The first was to find a missing pig for a client. Hanabi's Byugakan and the boys' stubbornness led to its capture very quickly. Mizumaru also performed _

_syrup capture field, a technique Izumo must have taught him. Also went to a ranch on the outskirts of the village and repaired fences. 3 D-rank missions have been completed._

* * *

Ahri glanced down at her team. They were collecting the trash that ended up in the streams by carefully walking across the surface of it. It was good training, though she was surprised that Hanabi was the wobbly one on the water. Jiro and Mizumaru were running circles around her.

"Hey hey! Ahri-sensei!"

_Naruto?_ She glanced down and saw Naruto waving at her. "What is it Naruto-kun?"

He jumped up in the tree next to her. "Kakashi-sensei wanted me to give you this." He handed her an envelope.

She took it and opened it, peering inside.

"Well what is it (dattebayo)?"

"A ticket."

"A ticket?" he asked.

"To a movie." She smiled. "To the Icha Icha movie."

His face went sour. "Seriously?"

She laughed. "You trained under Jiraiya, correct?"

"Ero-Sennin? Yeah… his books are really stupid though."

"I find them hilarious." She tucked the ticket into her pocket. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. Send him this back." She kissed his cheek.

"Whaaaat?" Naruto screamed. "I can't do that!" He ran away while Ahri laughed.

* * *

"Today's mission is actually one you will like," Tsunade said.

Jiro and Mizumaru clinched their fists with anticipation.

"You're in charge of a whole section of the city."

The two boys frowned. "Not another garbage mission!"

"No. You'll be repairing a part of the city that's been deserted since the attack on Konoha. Because no one lives there anymore, it has been neglected in the massive repairing projects."

"This isn't a ninja mission at all," Mizumaru moaned.

Ahri glanced down at the two. Kakashi thought he had it bad with Naruto; she had two of them. "Which section is it?" Ahri asked.

"The old buildings of the Neko Clan."

Ahri clasped her eyes shut. "Understood." She walked out of the office, followed by her students.

"The Neko Clan. They weren't that big of a clan were they Sensei?" asked Hanabi.

"They were small, but strong. Orochimaru had his ninja kill them all off when he attacked Konoha."

"Why?"

"He was after a girl who once lived there; she was not there when he attacked though." She led them to the Neko Clan's area. The only other area that was this dismal in the village was the large Uchiha Clan's area. "We'll start with the shrine in the back and work our way forward."

They walked to the shrine. The side wall had a large hole in it, the paint was faded, and animals had made the place their new home. "Now is a good time to teach you all a new technique."

"Sweet!" shouted the boys.

"Which one?" Hanabi asked.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu. We're going to need more than four sets of hands to have everything cleared up."

"This might take longer to master than to clear up here," Hanabi argued.

"That's a risk we're going to take. A shadow replication can be one of the handiest techniques to have. You just have to learn when to use it."

She began to train the four in front of her family's shrine.

* * *

Kiba rode Akamaru past the entrance to the Neko Clan section but stopped when he saw three Hagane Jiro's carrying paint cans. "Hey Jiro! Did your brother or sister teach you that?"

The three Jiro's turned around. "Neither, Ahri-sensei did!"

"Ahri?" Kiba asked. "Is she here?"

"She's working in the shrine."

Kiba rode forward to the shrine.

Ahri was scanning the area with her Nekugan. She could see a flicker in the back of the shrine, but no way to reach it. _What is it back there?_

"Oi! Ahri-chan! Can I talk to you?"

She turned to see Kiba riding to her. "If you're here to tell me how to…"

"No," he cut her off. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It might take more than a sorry."

"But…"

"Just… give me time." She walked into the shrine. "Rin," she whispered. "Rin?"

Rin's spirit appeared before her. "Yes Ahri?"

"I can see a flicker through the back wall. Do you know what's behind there?"

Rin turned to the back wall. "I believe that's where father kept the Neko Uchigatana."

"Neko Uchigatana?"

Rin nodded her head. "It's a very powerful katana that uses lightning and fire jutsu. Only the main line of the family could use it, like your father, and now you."

"My father never got it?"

"He left Konoha in a hurry."

Ahri climbed over fallen beams to reach the back wall. "Any clue on how to get in?" She pressed against the wall.

"Does your Nekugan not show you a way?" Rin asked. Without waiting for an answer, she passed through the wall, searching both sides. "Ah! Ahri-chan! Come put your paw here."

Ahri walked over to where Rin was hovering. It was high on the wall, but accessible thanks to the fallen beams. Transforming to her panther form, she pressed against a pressure plate. A small door opened, large enough only for her panther form. She ran through the small tunnel and landed in a tiny room. In the middle of the room sat the Uchigatana; its blade seemed to shine blue and orange, despite no light being in the room. Still in panther form, she approached the blade, but was stopped by a spirit appearing in front of her.

"Father!" Rin's spirit called out.

Ahri bowed her head. _So this is the Grandfather? Rin told me she hadn't seen him in the graveyard or elsewhere in the clan's area. He must have been tied to the sword and trapped in this room._

"Who are you?" the spirit called out.

Ahri transformed into her human form. "I am Neko Ahri, daughter of Kin."

"Daughter of Neko Kin?" The spirit stared at her. "You do not have the mark of a Neko."

She touched her face; she was missing the two stripes on her face that she had seen every other member of the clan having. She assumed it was part of the reason why more people saw her mother in her than Rin. "But I do have the seal of the clan," she answered. Her fingers had stopped on the three 'claw marks' next to her left eye.

The spirit gazed at the mark. "That makes you the last."

_Because he is separated from the others, he must not have known that the clan was destroyed._

"If you are the last, you are the only one who can wield the blade."

She reached her hand out to the blade as his spirit faded into it. When her hand touched the hilt, the blue and orange lights shot out, filling the small room completely.

* * *

Ahri sat in the graveyard again; the Neko section was coming along nicely, especially since Jiro and Mizumaru were now able to produce three shadow clones without being drained. Hanabi was still only able to make one, but her chakra supply could be smaller than the boys. It resembled the difference between her and Kakashi; he was strong, but did not have a large chakra reserve like her. While she could perform massive kage bunshin no jutsu, the most Kakashi could produce was five. Then he would have to rest.

"We lie in the dark I know you're awake. The only sounds are the sounds this old house makes. But oh, how I long, I long to hear your voice. Desperate to talk, yearning to touch. Burning inside cause I want you so much, so I say I need you and leave you no choice," she sang while staring at her new blade. Her grandfather's spirit was added to it, making it even stronger than it was for him. "You lie. You don't want to hurt me. So you lie, buy a little time. And I go along, what else can I do? Maybe it's wrong, but you know how much I love you so you lie till you can find a way to say goodbye. You lie."

Jiro, Mizumaru, and Hanabi stared at her from behind a tree. "Why is she just sitting there and singing?" Jiro whispered.

"She did say she likes to visit graveyards," Mizumaru reminded him.

_Byugakan!_ Hanabi scanned the area. "I can't detect anything around her."

"Were you trying to look for ghosts?" Jiro asked with a slight laugh. "Those don't exist."

Hanabi frowned. "Neji claims that on one of his missions there was a ghost. At first they didn't think so, but in retrospect one was a ghost."

"I think Neji is pulling a good one on you," Mizumaru said.

"Neji doesn't pull pranks," Hanabi countered.

"How long until you just can't go on, and the urge to break loose is just too strong? You should let go, that's what you want to do. Oh but you don't know, you don't know if it's the right things to do." Ahri leaned back against Hayate's tombstone. "You lie. You don't want to hurt me. So you lie, buy a little time. And I go along, what else can I do? Maybe it's wrong, but you know how much I love you so you lie till you can find a way to say goodbye." Hayate reached his hand out to her, training her with the chakra transfer as she continued singing. "You lie. You don't want to hurt me. So you lie, buy a little time. And I go along, what else can I do? Maybe it's wrong, but you know how much I love you so you lie till you can find a way to say goodbye. You lie."

"What are you three doing here?"

The three spun around to see Kakashi. "Uh… Kakashi-sensei…" Jiro started.

"You wouldn't be spying on your sensei, would you?" he asked.

"We were just wondering why she comes down to the graveyard to sing," Mizumaru grinned.

Kakashi stared at them with his arms folded. "She sings here so she doesn't wake the neighbors." He smiled. "I think I can speak for her when I say you three should go home and rest. There's more building to be done tomorrow."

"Hai!" They ran to their respective homes.

Kakashi watched them go and walked up to Ahri. "You had a living audience," he told her.

She looked up as Hayate formed in front of her. "Who was it?"

Kakashi stared at Hayate in amazement.

"Kakashi, who was it?"

He closed his eye. "Your students."

She frowned. "I don't want them to know I have this power. Actually, I don't want anyone to know."

Hayate reached his hand out to her, transferring the chakra back to her.

"If people think I can bring their loved ones back from the dead, they'll start requesting to see them. With that hope, they'll never be able to move on with their lives."

_Like me with Rin and Obito._ "I drove them away, so you're lucky."

"Adigato."

He knelt next to her. "You should go home and rest too."

"I have to train this technique. I'm at the point where I can do it while talking, but that's also with a full chakra reserve. I also have to be able to provide the spirit with enough to use their jutsu if I want to make this a handy technique. As of now, I can only supply Hayate with enough to form, and only for a short while." She clinched her fist. "I have to train more."

Kakashi sighed.

* * *

Ahri sat on the roof of her family's house, looking around at the work her team did. It took them only a week to finish the task; luckily her clan had been small.

"Alright Ahri-sensei!" Jiro yelled. "What next?"

"We go report to Tsunade that we finished." She leapt down to her students and casually walked with them to the Hokage's office to check in.

"You finished so soon?" Tsunade asked.

"It took longer than expected," Ahri answered roughly. Her eyes glared at Tsunade. _She has been giving us domestic D-rank missions only; usually a team is tested with a D-rank mission that involves leaving the village. It's like she's keeping me imprisoned in Konoha._

Tsunade returned her glare.

Mizumaru nervously turned his eyes to his sensei. _I thought you said we shouldn't anger her, Ahri-sensei?_

Jiro closed his eyes, fearing to see Tsunade explode.

Hanabi stared at Tsunade; if her sensei wasn't afraid of the Hokage, why should she?

"Is there a new mission for us?" Ahri asked, her arms folded across her Jonin vest.

Shizune handed Tsunade a piece of paper. "Tsunade-sama, this is a request from the Nano Country for some help with their festival."

"I thought that was a protection request?" Tsunade stared at her.

"No, there were two requests. This one is to simply provide extra hands for the festival."

Tsunade took the paper and looked it over. "Alright Ahri, your team will be heading to the Nano Country."

Ahri took the piece of paper from her. _It's about time you let us out of Konoha._

"But you will be traveling with the team I'm sending as protection."

"Which team is that?"

Tsunade looked down at her papers. "Team Gai will be arriving soon."

_Shit, not Gai and Fuzzy-brows. They give me the creeps. Plus, Neji and Tenten might be a distraction for Hanabi and Jiro._

"Tsunade-sama, might I remind you that Team Kakashi…" started Shizune.

Tsunade frowned. "The elders don't want Naruto out so far because of Akatsuki unless I supply extra support to his team."

Ahri turned to her students. "Would you three wait in the hall for me?"

The politeness of her request caused the three to gasp. "Of course, Ahri-sensei," Hanabi answered, leading the two boys out the door.

Ahri turned back to Tsunade with a scowl. "What kind of extra support?"

Tsunade shook her head. "ANBU. The head of the ANBU has already selected a person to replace Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well, add the guy and let Team Kakashi go. Keeping Naruto bottled up is going to cause you more problems."

"I know!" Tsunade yelled. "I just don't like the idea of adding one of Danzo's men to his team." She scowled. "But it seems I have no choice. Rest your team, in the morning you'll be leaving for the Nano Country with Team Kakashi."

Ahri nodded and followed her team out of the building.

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, Jiro, Mizumaru, and Hanabi stared at Sai. He returned a false smile. "Who are you?" Jiro asked.

"I'm Sai; I'm to replace Uchiha Sasuke in Team Kakashi since he found it fitting to desert Konoha."

Naruto seethed. "Don't talk about Sasuke like you know him!" he yelled.

Sai gave him a blank expression.

Sakura pulled Naruto back. "I apologize for Naruto," she said, stepping in front of Sai. She quickly let a massive punch loose. "But I don't apologize for me! Never talk that way about Sasuke ever again!"

As Naruto, Sakura, and Sai exchanged words, Team 18 watched in wonder.

"Odi odi odi!" Kakashi said as he landed next to his fighting team. "This isn't the best way to start out a new team, is it?" He pulled Naruto back from attacking Sai.

"That's not a good message to send to my team," Ahri told them as she landed behind her own students. "Kakashi, you should handle your partners better than that."

He glared at her as she returned a teasing smile.

"Alright, let's head out," she ordered her team. "Hanabi, in the front. You two in the middle. I'll take the back. Hopefully, Team Kakashi can catch up with us."

"Hai!" The three charged out of the gates with her following.

_She's almost as enthusiastic as Gai today. It's an unnerving thought. _Kakashi shook his head.

* * *

Ahri watched as her team pitched a tent. Naruto was complaining to Kakashi behind her. "You don't expect me to share a tent with that guy, do you?" he yelled.

_This is too hilarious,_ Ahri thought to herself.

"Alright Hanabi, go in and check it out!" Jiro and Mizumaru said together.

Hanabi stared at the two. "You think I'll fall for that?"

"She's right…" Mizumaru mumbled.

Jiro looked up to Naruto. "Oi! Naruto! You can stay in our tent if you want!"

Naruto looked up with a smile. "Hey! That's nice you guys!" He walked forward. "Oh it looks nice in there too!"

Ahri put her head in her hands as Naruto crawled in.

Jiro and Mizumaru pulled the two ropes near their feet, causing the tent to compress against Naruto.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Naruto yelled as the tent clung to him like cellophane.

Jiro and Mizumaru were on their backs laughing.

"Come on you two," Ahri said, suppressing laughter. _How stupid can Naruto be?_ "Let him out and set the tent up properly. The sun is about to set."

"Hai sensei!" Jiro and Mizumaru pulled the tent away, revealing a seething Naruto.

Kakashi stared at Naruto. "Will you get in the tent now?"

Without responding, Naruto stomped into Team Kakashi's tent.

Jiro and Mizumaru finally finished Team 18's tent and climbed into it; Hanabi and Ahri followed.

Mizumaru stared at the top of the tent while Jiro and Hanabi slept. He could only assume that Ahri-sensei was awake or sleeping lightly. It didn't matter, he wanted to train. He crawled out of the tent to a nearby pond he spotted earlier. Being on a mission with Team Kakashi made him realize how young he was. While age did not matter in the ninja world, techniques and skill did. Hanabi had Byugakan and was developing many of the moves that made Neji so powerful; Jiro had deadly accuracy with weapons like his sister and brother. _And I have syrup field. Little good that does when the target can dodge it. I have to find techniques that are better than Izumo's._ He stood on the water of the pond and meditated.

Sai looked past the reeds at Mizumaru meditating on the pond. A blue aura was forming around him, flowing down to the surface of the water. Sai flipped the page of his sketch book and began a new picture.

Ahri opened her eyes. _Did you think I wouldn't notice you sneaking out Mizumaru? What prank are you trying to pull now?_ She crawled out of the tent, following his scent. She found him standing on the pond meditating. _This can't be the same Mizumaru; he's forfeiting sleep for training? Why has he become so determined suddenly?_ She sat in the reeds, watching him. The surface of the pond began swirling around him, lifting up over his head. Finally, the water enclosed him like a shield. _Is this a new jutsu Mizumaru?_

Mizumaru opened his eyes, staring at the water surrounding him. _It worked._ He turned around, examining the entire shield. He spotted Ahri in the distance. "Ahri-sensei, throw a kunai at me."

"Are you sure?"

He put his hands back into a meditative position. "I have to see."

She lobbed a kunai at his leg. The shield reached out, grabbing the kunai. It was absorbed into the shield. Mizumaru lifted his hand up and the kunai went flying at the ground next to her. "That's impressive," Ahri admitted.

Mizumaru let the shield drop. "I was inspired by Gaara of the Sand."

_Gaara?_

"He carries special sand around with him in that gourd, and he can use it to shield himself. I'm thinking of carrying around special water… like this. I absorbed my chakra into the pond and was able to use it as a quick-acting shield." Mizumaru stared at the pond around him. "Do you think it's a worthwhile technique?"

"I think it's very worthwhile. I'm proud of you Mizumaru." She walked over to him, putting her arm around his shoulders. "You need to go rest now. We'll arrive tomorrow, and I want you to have enough of your usual energy to do your job."

"Hai sensei." The two returned to the team's tent.

* * *

Tsunade turned to grab her glass of tea. It cracked before she could touch it. _This sign, again? I knew I shouldn't have sent Naruto and Ahri out. They're still hot targets._ "Shizune!"

Shizune ran into the room. "Has Team Gai returned?"

"Yes…"

"Send them to catch up with Team Kakashi and Team 18, I want to make sure Naruto and Ahri are okay."

"The whole team?"

"They're fast; I just need assurance."

"Hai Tsunade-sama!" Shizune turned and ran away to find Team Gai.

* * *

Team 18 followed Team Kakashi down the road; they had just crossed into the Nano Country. "Hey Ahri-sama, when are you going to show us your latest techniques with your new blade?" Jiro asked.

"When you complete eight missions."

He yawned. "The missions they give us are boring though. Hey, Naruto-kun, didn't you have better missions by now?"

Naruto kept his back to him, still angry about the tent.

Sakura turned around with a smile. "Naruto and I had the same kind of missions you have. It's a building block process, Jiro."

"We had a way better mission," Naruto told her.

"Naruto, that mission was an accident. We didn't know Zabuza was sent out to assassinate him."

Ahri's eyes gleamed at the mentioning of Zabuza.

Kakashi turned to her. "Hey you two, don't talk about that mission. It may get Team 18's hopes up; those things only happen once in a blue moon."

Jiro jumped with a smile. "I'm sure something like that will happen for us."

Ahri turned to him. "You shouldn't wish for those things!"

He stopped smiling.

"People die when those things happen; you should be thankful for the missions you are given. You just began your career as a Genin, and shouldn't be put into danger." _So this is what _

_Tsunade was thinking of with them; it only made sense to me by recalling Haku's face as he died defending Zabuza. _"You two wanted to fight Akatsuki… that's foolish."

"You hear that Deidara-senpai? They wanted to fight Akatsuki."

"Tobi! You idiot! Way to ruin our entrance, hmmm?"

Ahri looked up at a tree overhead and saw the masked figure she had encountered so many times and Deidara, the Akatsuki member she thought she had killed when saving Gaara. She quickly put herself between them and her students. _How can they both still be alive? I thought they were both dead! And now the masked guy is wearing the actual Akatsuki robe. Kasa!_

Deidara grinned and reached into his bag.

"Get back," Ahri told her students.

They rushed back to where Team Kakashi stood. Team Kakashi, however, charged forward to be with Ahri, except for Sai who was pulling out a scroll.

"It looks to me like they have a Jinchuuriki with them, hmmm," Deidara said.

Naruto growled. "What the hell do you want? Shouldn't you be dead?"

Deidara smiled. "Always the first to yell at you. He still hasn't changed." He threw his hands out at them, sending small C1 spiders at Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Ahri. The four of them quickly jumped back as the explosions raced toward them.

Tobi jumped down next to Ahri; before he could do anything, painted vines shot out of the ground, holding him in place. Ahri pulled out her blade, swinging it across Tobi's stomach. She twirled around to face Deidra, who was sending another arsenal of C1 spiders.

"Tobi! Stop messing around down there!"

Ahri turned back to Tobi, who was standing up from her attack. "What in the hell?" she roared.

A giant clay dragon appeared, and Deidara hoped on it. The dragon opened its mouth, dropping numerous explosions down, causing everyone to dodge. "This is getting nowhere!" Naruto yelled. He ran toward Tobi. "Rasengan!"

The attack hit Tobi in the same place Ahri's sword had hit. A punch from Sakura also accompanied the attack.

Ahri dodged a spider; hoping that her students were safe. She scanned the battlefield. All three of them were near Sai, hidden. Only her Nekugan was able to spot them. She jumped over to Kakashi. "Distract him," Kakashi whispered to her. "While Naruto and Sakura take care of Tobi, I'm going to get Deidara. I need you to distract him."

"Hai." She ran toward Deidara, dodging his dragon's explosives.

"Oh, a charge, unn." He reached into his bag with his right hand.

Kakashi focused his Sharingan onto Deidara's head.

Deidara looked up…_Is this… eye-jutsu?_

Ahri jumped back as Deidara stumbled on the back of his dragon. _What just happened? _The dragon turned to her, shooting massive explosions. _ Shit!_ She fell back toward the bushes her students and Sai were hiding in.

"Ahri-sensei!" Mizumaru yelled. He leapt up with Jiro and caught Ahri as she fell.

Kakashi looked up at the dragon. _I missed?_

Deidara stood up, his head still on his body.

_I got his… left arm…_

"Looks like that was a close one, unn," Deidara called down. "Tobi!"

Tobi looked up at the figure in Deidara's hand. "Senpai!" Tobi called out, running away from Naruto and Sakura.

"Where is he running?" Naruto yelled.

"I think it's more like, 'why', Naruto," Sakura replied. She turned to see Deidara dropping a large clay model down over everyone else. "Run!" she yelled at them.

They were already running.

Kakashi panted from using his Mangekyo Sharingan. _We can't run fast enough; I have to use it again._ He stopped running and turned to the falling explosion. Using his Mangekyo Sharingan again, he sent the blast to another dimension.

"Kakashi!" Ahri yelled, running back to him as he collapsed.

The dragon flew back at them, with Deidara grinning. "I didn't expect that, unn."

Ahri held her blade out before her while Sakura knelt next to Kakashi.

"Dynamic entry!" Gai yelled as he jumped off a tree and kicked Deidara.

Tobi came running back in. "Senpai! You were a harsh senpai, but a good one. Why would you die?"

Deidara lifted himself off the ground from Gai's kick. "Shut the hell up already, Tobi! H'm!"

"Ah! You're still alive…" Tobi responded.

Deidara jumped back onto his dragon. "Come on Tobi; I have to replace my arm, again."

Tobi jumped onto the dragon, and the two soared off.

Ahri watched them go. "How is he, Sakura-chan?"

"He shouldn't have used that move. He can't move now."

Ahri spun around. "He did it to save us all." She knelt next to Kakashi. "We'll get you back to Konoha, okay?"

His half closed eyes turned to her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She smiled. _You're basically paralyzed and you want to know if I'm okay?_ "I'm fine."

Gai and the others walked over to Kakashi. "Tsunade-sama sent us to check in on you. Looks like we arrived in time to drive the enemy away!" Gai gave the 'Nice Guy' pose to Kakashi and Ahri.

"Gai, I need your team to get Kakashi back to Konoha. The rest of Team Kakashi and Team 18 will continue with the mission. We're close to the town now; we should be fine."

Neji turned to Gai. "I'll stay with Ahri-sama, just in case."

Tenten turned to Neji with a scowl. "If Neji stays…"

"It's settled! Neji, Lee, and Tenten will help Ahri with the missions while I take Kakashi back to Konoha!"

Ahri turned back to Kakashi. "I will take care of your team for you. Okay? Rest up while we're gone."

Kakashi blinked a response; he seemed to be loosing consciousness.

Ahri and Lee lifted him up and Gai carried him piggy-back style.

Sakura and Naruto stared at the sight. _Poor Kaka-sensei,_ Sakura thought.

_That's kinda creepy,_ Naruto thought.

_I can't believe it's come down to this,_ Kakashi closed his eyes. _I think I'd rather die._

"Is piggyback necessary Gai?" Ahri asked.

"This way, I'll be faster!" he responded.

Ahri sighed and secured Kakashi on Gai's back. "Take care of him Gai," she whispered. "If you don't, I'll have to hurt you."

Lee shouted. "Yes! I see! It's training!" He spun toward Neji, offering to carry him on piggyback. "Neji!"

"Absolutely not!" Neji answered.

Gai nodded his head and ran back toward Konoha.

Ahri turned to those that remained. "Let's get to this festival and finish our mission."

"Hai!"

* * *

Ahri sat next to Kakashi in his hospital room. He was still paralyzed from the neck down. "So your mission was a success?"

"Yes." She pulled the chair as close to the bed as possible so she could stroke Kakashi's hair. "Nothing happened after you left." She smiled. "That move is pretty powerful, but you shouldn't use it again. Especially not twice like that."

"I just need more training with it," he argued.

Ahri smiled evilly. "If you train with it, and paralyze yourself again, I will have Gai come and give you another piggyback."

Kakashi clamped his eye shut. "I never want to hear those words again. As a matter of fact, I want you to burn these clothes and give me a scalding sponge bath. I lost consciousness somewhere along the way, but while I was awake…" He shuddered.

"Oh! You shuddered! That's a good sign! Maybe your body is coming back to you!"

Kakashi glared at her.

She laughed. "I have to go soon; tonight we're tending the graveyard."

"At night?"

"Well, we could do it tomorrow, but Jiro and Mizumaru want to see a ghost or something. They think it'll be more exciting to do it at night."

"You'd think they had enough excitement when Deidara and Tobi showed up."

She sighed. "You would, wouldn't you? I'm blessed; I have two Naruto's. And tomorrow, we have to deliver a package to Sunagakure. I thought it would be nice for them to get away from Konoha and do some training while we were there." She kissed his forehead and left the room.

* * *

Team 18 stood in front of Tsunade's desk. She looked up and sighed. _When I first assigned this team to Ahri, I was hoping she would have her hands full trying to control Jiro and Mizumaru as well as Hanabi's ego. Now it seems like she's molded them into miniature versions of herself._ Her eyes looked them over. Ahri stood to Tsunade's left, in her typical crossed-arm, leg-jutting pose; Hanabi stood next to her, her fists on her hips, arms akimbo, expecting to hear the next mission soon; Jiro was using Mizumaru's shoulder as an arm rest; Mizumaru was holding on to the shoulder-to-hip sash that held water bottles full of his new 'chakra induced' water for his latest jutsu. _Ever since they met with the Akatsuki, those three have been training night and day; I heard she made them train while they were in Sunagakure. I never expected her to succeed so well as sensei, but then again, she has Kakashi for guidance._

"The Country of Waves is having trouble again," Tsunade informed them as she looked over the paper. "They report that their fishermen are having hard times and leaving the village; now the village is low on hands. The whole place might fall in on itself, and they just want a few hands for fishing."

"Fishing?" Jiro asked.

"We're getting paid to fish?" Mizumaru asked.

Ahri turned to the two. _No complaints about the simplicity of the mission?_

"Fishing rocks!" they yelled together. Jiro ran forward and grabbed the request out of Tsunade's hand. She scowled as he turned back to the others, looking over the paper. "Hey, hey, they have a beach. Hanabi-chan, do you own a swimsuit?"

Hanabi hit Jiro over the head.

Ahri took the paper from Jiro's limp hand as he staggered back to Mizumaru.

"Any reason other than money for the fishermen leaving?" she asked Tsunade.

"None have been reported, of course, none of the fisherman who have left actually told the remaining villagers that is why. Be careful, just in case."

Ahri nodded her head and ushered her team out.

* * *

Ahri left her students at their dock to search for the graves Sakura had told her about. The Country of Waves was where Zabuza and Hake died, and according to Sakura, Team 7 held a funeral for them there as well. It didn't take Ahri long to find the two graves further inland amidst trees. She knelt before the two markers, staring at the giant sword of Zabuza.

"Haku, Zabuza…" she whispered, pulling weeds away from the markers. "Do you even remember me? Do you know how much you touched me, inspired me? Haku… I found the one I want to protect. Hatake Kakashi, I live to make his dreams come true."

A slight breeze swept through the small enclosure. She glanced up, hoping to see the spirits of the two, but no one was there.

"Zabuza," she whispered, gently touching the large sword, "you were my first kiss." _Well… Kiba's memories told me differently but…_ "You were my first kiss from a man." She smiled. "You were so strong, so tall. You were amazing." She leaned her head forward on the marker. "You were supposed to train me." _Maybe… other spirits approach singing, maybe they will too. _"You should see the way these people look at me when they see me round here talking to this stone. Everybody thinks I've lost my mind, and my brain has gone astray. I really shouldn't be this way. I really shouldn't hurt so much. But if I were to come to that, I would have never felt your touch. I don't think I would want it that way, so it's better just to be this way."

A chill raced up her back. She looked up to see Zabuza standing over her.

"Zabuza-san…"

"Ahri-sensei! Ahri-sensei!" Jiro ran into the enclosure. "Hey Ahri-sensei! What are you doing on that grave?"

She turned to face Jiro, lifting herself off the grave marker in doing so. "What do you need Jiro?"

"We filled all the baskets with fish. There were plenty out there; I don't know why the fishermen who left were having problems."

Ahri turned back to where Zabuza appeared, but he was gone. She closed her eyes. "There may be something else going on. Grab the baskets and we'll head back across the bridge." She stood and followed Jiro out of the enclosure to the bridge.

"So these stupid villagers finally got some brains and hired the great Hatake Ahri."

Ahri stopped on the edge of the bridge as mist swirled around three figures in the distance.

"Ahri-sensei!" shouted Mizumaru as he, Jiro, and Hanabi ran up behind her, leaving the baskets behind.

"Stay behind me!" she ordered.

They stopped short of the bridge, hands up at the ready, but their eyes were large with wonder – _could it be more Akatsuki?_

The mist departed, revealing the three figures. All three wore navy blue wetsuits, but the one in front caught Ahri's attention the most for on his back hung a long katana, taped up. That usually indicated a member of the Seven Swords.

"I'm flattered you know my name, but I have no clue of who you are."

He laughed hideously. "Is this part of your game, Hatake?"

_Byugakan! _ Hanabi scanned the scene.

"What do you see Hanabi?" Jiro asked.

"There are three of them… wait! Two sources of chakra just appeared next to sensei from nowhere!"

Jiro squinted. There was no one standing next to Ahri-sensei.

Ahri turned her head slightly to look at the two next to her. "Haku-san, Zabuza-san…" she whispered. _So they did remember me._ She threw her hands out, letting her palms lock with theirs.

"Her chakra… it's flowing out of her and into the sources… they're taking a form!" Hanabi said.

Jiro and Mizumaru gasped as two bodies formed before them. One was a tall ninja with his face half-covered in bandages and a large sword on his back. The other was smaller, Ahri's height, but wore a mask that covered his or her face. "Ahri-sensei…" Jiro whispered. _How is she able to do that?_

The man with the katana stared in wonder. "Zabuza?" he asked.

Zabuza grinned under his bandages. "I'm glad I came for this fight."

Ahri had fallen on one knee during the transfer, but now stood up. "A friend of yours from the Swords?"

"He was not in the swords; he was Kisame's apprentice."

"Kisame…" Ahri whispered. Her opponent had a possible tie to Akatsuki.

"So you brought Zabuza's ghost back to haunt me? Your game will not work on me." He unleashed his blade.

"Ahri, take the one on the left; Haku, the one on the right. I will take Suiame." Zabuza unleashed his sword and charged.

Suiame's two followers attempted to charge at Zabuza, but Haku and Ahri's speed instantly stopped them.

"Hyoro no Jutsu!" shouted her opponent.

_Ice? I thought only Haku could create ice on his own._ Ahri watched the ice form out of thin air at her. _Touché. _ "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" She blew fire on the ice, causing it to melt.

"Hyoton: Haryu Moko!"

A large dragon of ice came flying at her.

_You just don't learn._ "Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!" Her own fire dragon circled around his.

A hand grabbed at her foot, pulling her down into the ground.

"What?" she yelled.

Her opponent laughed. "You got overly cocky, Hatake. What?"

The body he was holding dissipated. "It looks like you got too cocky!" He turned to be met with her kunai.

Ahri glanced at Haku; his opponent was trapped in the Demonic Ice Mirrors. She turned to Zabuza; his opponent lost to his water dragons and blade. With Haku and Zabuza, the fight had become _too _easy. But then again, her opponents did not expect her to have the power of spirit resurrection. She grinned.

* * *

Zabuza and Haku stood before Ahri. "Adigato, Haku, Zabuza."

Haku bowed his head. "I am glad that you finally understand me, Ahri-sama." He lifted his hand back up to Ahri, transferring the chakra back into her, allowing his spirit to rest once more.

Ahri turned to Zabuza. Standing in front of him made her feel young again. He reached up and grabbed the back of her hair, yanking her head up to face him once again.

"Ahri-sensei!" shouted Hanabi, Jiro, and Mizumaru.

She held a hand up to them in order to keep them from approaching.

Zabuza grinned. "So the young assassin became a sensei?"

"She did."

"And she's in love with Hatake Kakashi," he growled. "If he hadn't defeated me, I would have come back to train you. You would have been a great assassin."

She grinned. "I'm sure I would have."

"It looks like we missed a party, Sasuke."

Ahri turned to the voices approaching them; Zabuza let go of her hair.

Four people walked toward them, stepping over the dead bodies. One bent down to look at Suisame. "He's already dead; I doubt he still has ties to Kisame though." The same person looked up at Zabuza. "Zabuza? Sasuke, you told me he was dead."

The dark haired man in front glared at Zabuza and Ahri. "He was."

"I still am, Suigetsu," Zabuza answered. "But cats are the guardians of the afterlife." He turned back to Ahri. "I will deal with you later." He grabbed her arm, returning the chakra and fading away.

"Sasuke, she's the other one he wanted," the girl of the group said. "That is Neko Ahri."

"What is she talking about? That's not…" Jiro began.

"Quiet, Jiro," Hanabi said. "That's Uchiha Sasuke." She walked forward to Ahri. "Ahri-sensei, shouldn't we bring him back to Konoha?"

Sasuke glanced down at the three who stood next to Ahri.

"You said you wanted her to join us," the girl reminded him.

"She can't join us now. She wouldn't leave her students behind."

Ahri put a hand on Hanabi's shoulder. _So this is the Uchiha Sasuke that everyone is worried about._ "You three wait here. I need to talk with him."

"Hai sensei!"

She walked up to the four. They all stepped forward to meet her. "I'm only interested in talking to Sasuke-kun," she called.

He nodded his head to the others and walked with Ahri to the railing of the far-side of the bridge.

"As a shinobi of Konoha, it is my duty to bring you back."

He glared at her.

"But I don't care about that. I know that you have to kill your brother first."

_Could she be an avenger as well?_

"I need to know what happened to Orochimaru."

"He has been defeated."

"Damn it," she growled, grasping the railing with her hands.

_Shouldn't she be happy?_

"I've been training to defeat him myself."

"Join us Ahri," Sasuke said, staring at the ocean below. "I could use your help against Itachi and the Akatsuki."

"I have to get those three back to Konoha first, and then…" With the death of Orochimaru, she would be able to start her life with Kakashi. But starring into Sasuke's eyes… they had the same coldness in them that hers had. If he could defeat Itachi, he would be given the chance she was given now. He deserved that. Sakura deserved that. "I must think about it."

"We will find you again." Sasuke closed and opened his eyes slowly. "Is Kakashi okay?" he asked.

Ahri closed her eyes, recalling the attack of Deidara and Tobi. "He is… resting… from using his Mangekyo Sharingan."

Sasuke inhaled sharply. "Mangekyo Sharingan?" _How was he able to develop that?_

"It's different from Itachi's," Ahri said, sensing Sasuke's loud thoughts. "He didn't have to kill anyone for it, if that's what you were wondering."

Sasuke closed his eyes. "And… Sakura?"

"You've hurt her; more than you know."

He turned away and walked back to his group. "Let's get your sword, Suigetsu." The four walked past her students toward Zabuza's and Haku's graves.

Ahri walked up to her students. "Everything that you have seen here, forget it. I'll report to Tsunade that we found the cause of their missing fishermen."

The three stared at her in wonder.

She smiled and ruffled Jiro and Mizumaru's hair. "I need to talk to the Hokage before anyone else finds out that Uchiha Sasuke is alive. So don't tell your families."

They nodded their heads.

"Let's get those baskets of fish back to the village."

* * *

Ahri stared at the clock in her temporary bedroom in the fishermen's village. Orochimaru was dead, Sasuke was alive, and she was confused. She loved her team; she loved Kakashi. But she also understood those feelings flowing out of Sasuke.

A movement in the corner of her sight caused her to quickly turn. Zabuza's spirit was standing at the edge of her bed. He crawled on the bed, reaching his hand out to Ahri. She grasped it, causing him to truly form.

"What do you want Zabuza?"

"I told you I wasn't finished with you. And I'm restless; Suigetsu took my sword."

He was right; his spirit was without sword now.

"He thought it would make him stronger, but in the end it will only slow him down." He pulled the back of her hair again.

"We're back at this game?" She reached up and pulled down his mask. His shark-like teeth grinned at her. "Seeing you like this makes me feel young again."

"It makes me feel alive." Again he pulled her into a forbidden kiss.

Her mind raced to Kakashi, stuck in his hospital bed. He was there because he selflessly sacrificed himself for everyone else. This man above her was a murderer, a man with no conscious. _He is uninvited._

His taped hands reached down her body, pulling up on her nightgown.

"Zabuza…" she started.

He covered her mouth with his own to keep her from speaking. "You may be with Kakashi, but what happens with the dead stays with the dead. After tonight, I will be a part of you."

She squirmed under his touch; _I could drain him of his chakra._ He pulled the nightgown off despite her struggle. _But there's something about this…_ He pushed his legs against hers, holding her down as he pulled off his own shirt. _…something about it I like. The struggle… it's a thrill, like the pain…_ Her claws sprang out, ripping his back. He laughed and used his shark teeth against her neck.

* * *

Kakashi stared at the ceiling of his hospital room. The panther pendant on his chest was heating up; the emotions it sent him… were wild. It felt like the first time he had slept with her with the pain and the heat. He panted as the emotions flooded over him. _What are you doing Ahri?_ The energy of the emotions flooding into him caused him to fall back into his deep sleep. It brought back more memories…


End file.
